The GA Guinn Trips

Christmas was hard and amazing all wrapped up together...Is that fair to say?  One of the worst things about being divorced is having to share my kids...I never had to do that before and honestly, I hate it.  Christmas Eve the girls spent with Frank.   I spent the entire day waiting for them.  I did go to Christmas Eve Service with my mom, dad, Sandra, and Mr. Andrew, but it was so weird NOT having my girls with me.  It was a rough day for me all around.  I cried a lot, because my girls were having to do through this and not understanding why momma and daddy aren't together.  It sucked!  But my mom and sister did spend a TON of time trying to keep me cheered up...They even forced me to cook (and we all know how much I ENJOY cooking)...

But what seemed like an eternity, they arrived home, and we began our celebration. 

I decided to start some new traditions with the girls now that are special just to our family (me and the girls)...First we said goodbye to Red Sock Elf, he had to go back to live with Santa, but before he left us, he brought the girls and myself each a Lenox ornament...and this is a traditon that will continue for us...Makenna recieved a Christmas Treel; Alyssa recieved a star, and Issy recieved a shamrock. 

We also all had matching PJs, which the girls thought was SO FUNNY that mommy had the same pjs as them...

We got our first our family ornament, with a Polar Bear Mommy and her three baby bears. 

Then we set up our Santa Plate...We test tasted our cookies to make sure they were ready and made santa some chocolate milk...

The girls decided that the cookies were great and they could share with Santa!

So we put the cookies and milk our for Santa!

Then we got on the computer to check out where Santa was...he was in Canda, so we had to work quickly...we fed the reindeer and checked out the beginning of our FIRST WHITE CHIRSTMAS...

Poppa Wallace wanted to continue Ma Murray's tradition of getting up at 5am for Christmas, but I and my children like our sleep, so we told Mr. Andrew and Aunt Sandra 7am, which we could have done at 8 am or even 9....

And this was what we woke up too...Yep, that's my Audi, checking out the snow...Frank has decided to give up custody of them and let me have them forever, which is REALLY REALLY GOOD...They love being here and the girls love them...

It was the first white Christmas in Atlanta since 1882, so this was a special moment for our girls. 

Christmas morning...Just waking up!

When the girls came down the stairs, they were so excited because Santa had brought everything they had asked for and SO MUCH MORE!

Makenna's and Issy's stuff from Santa...

Then Alyssa's stuff and all the girls together presents...Alyssa was over the MOON about her Ice Skates...Too bad, she has yet to get on the ice with them and she won't this week either...

The adults and Fur Bunches stockings and the Air Hockey Table.

Opening Presents (Poppa was on Wrapping Paper Patrol)...He kept everyone in check!

More present opening...

One thing when you are the person behind the camera there aren't a ton of pics of me, so here's one of me drinking a diet coke and trying to stay awake...

Teaching the girls to play Air Hockey...

Poppa making sure the train works...

We opened all our presents and then Aunt Sandra and Mr. Andrew had to drive to Mr. Andrew's family for their christmas celebration...They came back around 5 for dinner with us (we did it earlier than planned, because we were worried about the amount of snow coming down...) Dinner was amazing and I was able to eat a bunch of stuff and still keep to my gluten free diet, which helped me feel better..although I really missed eating dressing. 

There was tons of laughter, especially when Makenna developed her own game called "pass the baby" which the adults quickly corrupted by passing the baby by coming up with new ways to get referred to CPS when caring for an infant...especially Mr. Andrew's "Hut, Hut!" Football toss and Aunt Sandra's Opps I Dropped/Slammed the Baby to the floor..

I can say that despite everything, it was an amazing christmas that I will never forget... We were have grown by one and lost one family member this year.  Mr. Andrew is amazing and we are so thankful that he is now apart of our family (Plus he will play balance beam with us and show all the girls up)...

So I can say that honestly I am THANKFUL and AMAZED for a family that supports me through the holidays, loves my girls to the Moon and Back, and makes me laugh.  You guys are the rock that I and my girls stand on and we are thankful for your part in our lives....