Better Together: Christmas 2013 (The Reactions & Following Week)

So the BIG moment had finally arrived and we were sneaking into Kory's grandparents house to surprise everyone on Christmas morning. One minor problem: the door was locked! I had to trim the video so it would post on here, but all you're missing is me trying the door, finding it was locked, having a minor freak out and then Kory deciding we should ring the door bell. So, Kory rings the door bell and this is what happens next...

I love so many things about this video. First, that it was Grandpa who answered the door as he was the perfect one to not make too big of a fuss so we could still sneak in. Secondly, seeing Kory's older brother, Kent, fist-pumping as we walk in the door reminds me how genuinely excited everyone was that we had arrived. And finally, as predicted, as soon as we hit the dining room where Mom/Grandma/Aunt was, the tears started flowing immediately.

We spent so long planning this trip and every little detail related to it and this was the perfect way to see it all come together! Our 2 year old niece, Lucy, was pretty scared by all the commotion, but she came around before long when she realized that "Manny and Tory" actually came, just like she'd been telling everyone for weeks!

All of our presents had been mailed to us previously, and we actually opened them all on the Saturday before (this is now Wednesday), but we had to keep that a secret also. We'd told Kory's family that it looked like their presents wouldn't arrive before Christmas, and so they finally understood when we explained that our plane tickets were our gifts to everyone. When we arrived, we found out that they had only opened stockings and hadn't even got to the actual Christmas presents yet. This turned out to be perfect timing, because it meant that I got to help Lucy open all of her gifts while everyone else opened their own.

The toughest part of it was that she opened a baby doll about 2 or 3 presents in and then all she wanted to do was play with that doll. I had to bribe/force her to keep opening presents because all she wanted to do was play with her baby. She was so funny because she would open a present and toss it to the side immediately and go for the doll. Looking back, I kind of wonder why I didn't just let her play with the doll, but I think it was because everyone got her all these fun presents and wanted her to enjoy them too. You can see her with the doll below, amidst all the wreckage.

Speaking of wreckage, let me take this moment to say that a Christmas with the Mereness' is truly unlike any Christmas I've had before. To say there were a TON of presents would be the understatement of the year. The picture below was taken by Kory's oldest brother, Kevin, and I love that you can see the after-math of all the presents.

We finally got a chance to meet the twins, Molly and Jude, and it was just as wonderful as we had imagined. They were much smaller than I anticipated, but it only made them that much cuddlier!

Christmas day was filled with delicious food, relaxing, playing with presents and family time, which is exactly how I think it should be spent. After lunch, most people took naps, but I felt sure that a nap for me would mean I wouldn't sleep well that night. So, I pushed through and stayed awake all day after getting just a couple hours of sleep the night before. Adrenaline and excitement can really take you far!

Aunt Johnette asked me to decorate a gingerbread house with her while everyone else napped, so I agreed and it was a great, although trying experience. The icing/glue was not very sticky, so it was pretty difficult, but it was fun getting to spend some one-on-one time with Johnette as I don't get that very often.

The next week was just one of those dream weeks where we didn't set alarm clocks, stayed in our pajamas most of the day, enjoyed the Texas food we miss the most, and spent lots of time with family that we only see a couple times a year. Here are a few highlights: