Thursday, January 5, 2017

Our LONG Christmas


We had such a sweet Christmas this year. We were blessed to be home in Louisiana for a month. My boys got to be loved on by their Gram, Granddaddy, cousins, and aunt and uncle. They loved every minute of it!  
We left on December 2 and flew to Houston. Chris left from Houston to fly to Virginia (where he had two weeks of classes) and the boys and I drove to Shreveport.  They did great on the long flight, but we were happy to be done! I stayed with the boys for about 5 days at my parents house and then I got the best treat ever. My parents kept all three boys while I joined Chris in Virginia Beach.  I had such a relaxing time and Chris and I had 10 days of just the two of us.  I didn't worry one single bit because I knew they were having a great time and being so spoiled! My parents kept the boys busy and my mom often sent fun pictures of them to me...




My Hawaiian babies being all bundled up in the cold weather. So precious...



Chris and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in Virginia then the next day we flew back to Houston. Chris surprised me with a quick road trip to Waco where we finally saw the Magnolia Market. We are big fans of the show "Fixer Upper." It was so fun and we enjoyed authentic Texas barbecue for dinner! Our favorite! 





The next morning we drove into Shreveport to see our boys.  

The only thing Abram wanted to do while in Louisiana was go ice skating. He knew it had to be super cold to ice skate so when he saw us packing our jackets and coats he got a big smile and said, "Can we go ice skating in Louisiana?"  We took Abram and my niece and nephew (Cade and Ella) with us.  At first he was upset because he couldn't get the hang of it and he was frustrated and cold. After a few times of going around with holding on to the wall, he ventured out on his own. He was great! As we were leaving he said, "I love ice skating!"





Of course no Jensen Christmas is complete without decorating Christmas cookies a few days before Christmas. We always have a blast but it is always so messy and all of us have a sugar coma after we are done because we ate more than we decorated. :) 

Jack and Luke's first Christmas cookie decorating party!

The finished products!

The whole family participates...

Even the boys...

And Abe got all the icing he wanted from his Aunt Julie!

We started a new tradition this year of a Candy Cane Hunt. We absolutely love hunting for Easter Eggs so I knew this would would be a hit! I think we will do it every year!



Abram counting his candy canes. 

Finally, after waiting all month, it was finally Christmas morning.  Abe loved waking up and opening presents with his Gram and Granddaddy, and sweet boy also loved giving his Gram and Granddaddy their gifts that traveled all the way from Hawaii. It was such a good morning.


We had such a great Christmas and we love that we were hurried or rushed.  We just loved our time together! Here's one final picture of the family eating pancakes before the Morris' drove back to Houston. Good byes are always hard, but this season was such a blessing. 


A few days after we got home, it was New Year's Eve.  I'm always so sad that Abe misses out on the celebrations because of course he can't stay up until midnight.  I was thrilled when I found a noon balloon drop at the Children's Discovery Center. It was so fun! And a great way to celebrate the New Year~ kid style!





The only fire works they sell here in Hawaii are the poppers. Here's Chris and Abe ringing in 2017 with some confetti poppers! And in true Abram fashion, he was thrilled! 


After being home for a month, we got some great family pictures. Here's some of my favorites. :)









Merry Christmas and Happy 2017!