Christmas Eve with the Carrolls (Stephen's mother's family)
Stephen's parents are always so sweet to invite my mom to their gatherings. She usually comes to one of their Christmas gatherings every year. We feel really fortunate that our parents get along so well together!
With Meme, Stephen's last surviving grandparent
Christmas day with the Brooks (Stephen's dad's family)
With Stephen's cousin and his wife, who are expecting their first baby just five weeks before ours!
With my mom and brothers. Next year, we are going to stand next to the tree instead of standing in front of it. We are all so tall that you can't even see the tree!
My little brothers make Stephen and me look like dwarfs! Their dad is 6'6", and I think Lee just might get there in the next couple of years!
A pit stop at the Anniston Museum of Natural History (one of the only attractions in this part of Alabama). The dead stuffed animals are kind of eerie, but it's also kind of cool to get a close look at so many previously living animals that we would never see up close otherwise.
On an African safari...
We revisited Jacksonville, the town where we met as freshman in college in 2001. We drove past our first apartment, where we lived from 2002-2004 when we were first married. This place will always hold a special place in our hearts since it was our first home together. I was thrilled to see that the current tenants decorated the porch with Christmas lights the same way we used to.
Over the past week, we've also gotten to see a lot of our old friends from high school who are home for the holidays... always terriffic to catch up with old friends. We're still in Alabama, and our travel plans have been thrown off a bit by both of us getting sick =( I woke up throwing up at 6:00 Christmas morning at my in-laws' house... not exactly the way you want to start the day! As soon as I had recovered from the stomach bug, Stephen picked up a terrible cold, and we had to quarantine ourselves from each other so I wouldn't catch it. Apparently I'm going to catch every bug I come into contact with while I'm pg, so I'm trying to become more vigilant about staying away from possible sources... being sick while pg is definitely not fun! I couldn't keep any food down for a couple of days, and it was just awful because I could feel my little girl moving around, and was constantly worried about whether she was getting enough hydration and calories. Thankfully, Stephen and I are both better now. Hopefully we can stay that way!
Aww, so sorry to hear you were so sick. That must be really hard. Your pictures are great, though... looks like you had a fun time! The one of Stephen and the bear is too funny!
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