Last weekend we drove to Tucson to celebrate an early Christmas with family.  Cody and Carter’s cousins are heading out of town for the actual event, so we convened at my mother-in-law’s house for dinner and presents.

Carter, of course, brought his two favorite stuffed animals, Barney and Barney Jr.  For some reason I can not justify, I could not stop taking pictures of said owls.  Not to let the pictures go to waste I present you with an Early Owl Christmas…

The Christmas tree:

The owls were very taken by the tree and spent much of their time simply gazing at it or perched near it.

Beer, Dogs, and Phones:

While the owls stood stoically by, Haley looked out the window barking at any who dared to walk past the house.  For the record, that is not Haley’s beer.  The owls had some fun while Husband was doing important things on his phone (i.e. playing wordament).

Dinner was Served: 

Barney and Barney Jr. looked on as we all sat down at the table for dinner.

Photo Bombs and Rabbit Ears:

The subtitle says it all.

Passed Out or Napping?:

No humans passed out, but there was some human napping.  I am not sure which of the two this is in relation to Barney and Barney Jr.  I assume they are underage and therefore not partaking in libations, but then again…

The Christmas Picture:

And lastly, if I had not given up on capturing the perfect family photo years ago to make into a Christmas card, this would be the stuffed animal parallel one I would send out.

We had a wonderful time.  The cousins loved hanging out together and we adults loved watching them build amazing family centered memories.

The Cousins: