Full

When I think about this holiday season, the break from the normal crazy and the experience of short-lived, extended-family crazy, I feel full.

It's a word I borrowed from my mom. After yet another delicious meal and too-good-to-be-true dessert and more than a few of us talking about how stuffed we were, she said that "full" was the best word to describe how she felt in every sense of the word.
I couldn't agree more.
My tummy is full, my heart is full, my people quotient is full, and my camera's SD card is maxed out.
Our break from the normal isn't quite over as we cram in another day or two of feasting and family and fun and staying up much too late. And it would be easy to look at all of the travel and packing and unpacking and bed-switching and extended-pajama-wearing and wish we could have just spent time in our own home resting and getting affairs in order and such.
But I'm glad we didn't.
My tree is still up, the wrapping and unwrapping clutter is piled high, and I don't think I could look at any area of my life and find an ounce of orderliness. I'm choosing to be okay with that.
There may or may not be time to reclaim organization and orderliness and yes, those things do make me feel better. But this year's memories with cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and brothers and sisters and in-laws can't be cashed in further down the road.
I have a feeling that years from now I won't look back and remember how January 2011 began with a bit of chaos and disarray but I will certainly reflect upon the fun and the food and the amazing family {both mine and The Man's} that I belong to.
So here's {more than} a few photos of our very full holiday and the obligatory commentary of course.

::

Christmas morning. 

This year was our turn to spend most of the holiday with my side of the family. We spent about 6 days with my parents, my brothers and their families, and my sister and her family. My grandparents and some other extended family members came up for a bit as well. It was loud and crazy and festive in every way.
There are now 20 stockings to fill and they are hung on a 2 x 4 since a mantle can't hold them all. I love this picture.

Poppy and some of the grandkids on the Gator.

Okay, I have to preface the ridiculous number of food photos. In my next life, I am going to travel the world as a writer and photographer for Food and Wine or Saveur or some other posh foodie publication, but until then my own family provides more than a few delicious subjects to capture {and eat.}

My youngest brother spends his free time baking gourmet confections and he baked 10 desserts for us in 6 days. Seriously. {And they were seriously amazing.}

My mom's traditional sweet roll ring.

Cowboy cookies

We don't mess around. Look at the size of that whisk!

Peanut butter crispy bars {with a ganache topping}

Chocolate mint thumbprint cookies

Christmas Day "Whiteout Cake"

A few of the little princesses I got to hang out with...

As if Christmas isn't special enough, God decide to blanket our southern 'scape with a white Christmas.

My mom and dad

The boy cousins on the toboggan

The Man and our 3 young 'uns

My mom and Brownie. If you look closely you'll see that he lost a top front tooth and on Christmas Eve no less. He delivered one of the best quotes ever: "This is very rare. Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy might finally get to meet each other."

Yep, that's me in the middle. This is such a special picture of my dad and Blondie and me sledding. I have so many fun memories of sledding with my dad when I was her age.

Blondie and a couple of her younger girl cousins

Cupcake took about 2 minutes to figure out to immerse himself into the snowball fun.

And if all of that time with my side of the family wasn't enough fun, we then spent time with The Man's family for more feasting and cousin craziness and a whole lot of Just Dance and Sing Star. I am sore...which is pathetic.

My sister-in-law made super fun frosting for the kids to make "New Year's cookies."

Clearly, they are not shy about the frosting.

Some impromptu twister on the rug...

And one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received...getting to see my reserved, economics-loving, conservative, never-ever-dancing husband break it down. He's going to die if he reads this post so enjoy the photos now. They may soon be censored.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Love, Scooper