Catching up part 2

On the morning of Christmas Eve, we headed to Memphis to celebrate with family. My sister, brother-in-law, and their two children live in Memphis, but they came over to spend two nights at my mom's house with us. Talk about a house full!

On Christmas Eve we went to my mom's church and then came home to have snacks and open a few presents. me, mom, Hillary on Christmas Eve

On Christmas morning we exchanged gifts and had a nice brunch. I made a shrimp and grits casserole (Jill Robbins' recipe) that was delicious! We played with gifts and drank coffee until it was time to get ready to go to the Duleys.

mom and Josh Christmas morning

Scott's dad only lives about 1o minutes from my mom, so we went over to spend the afternoon with the Duleys. We exchanged gifts there, and Sharon had prepared a huge, delicious Christmas dinner! (I sure was wishing I hadn't eaten so many shrimp grits... "but why stop now," I thought!) I can't pass up sweet potato casserole!
Sharon and Bobby with the kids

The kids always love hanging out with their uncles (ages 16 and 18), and we can't wait until they are our neighbors here in Keownville!


When we got back to my mom's house, she remembered that she had gotten the kids Memphis shirts to get a picture with my dad.. (huge Memphis State... uh... University of Memphis fan)
I had to put my camera down for the group shot to make funny faces, etc. I am not sure if we ever got any good ones, but here are a few cute shots while mom was setting up her camera:

Levi, Hannah, Sarah/ Will, Evelyn

We stayed Christmas night and had a good time "throwin' down some Spades" after the kids were in bed. The next morning we packed up and headed home to Mississippi. Soon after we arrived, some close friends from Kentucky arrived for a visit. They stayed for the weekend, and we (esp. Scott) were blessed by their visit. I wish I had a picture, but alas, it is stuck in Scott's phone and I do not have the technological savvy to retrieve it!