Santa is Everywhere!

I took Lily down to the eye clinic two days before Christmas to pick up her new glasses and guess who was there to help her?!?!?

She did not know what to think about Santa adjusting her new glasses!  I guess Santa is always watching!

Family Pictures 2014

Back in October we had family pictures made again.  I almost didn't have them done this year but Lily and Parker have both changed so much since last year because they both got glasses so I decided to go ahead and do them.  I am so glad I did- they turned out great!  Kim did another great job capturing our family and I was so pleased with the results! 

Christmas 2014

After Grandma and Papa left, the kids got everything ready for Santa and his reindeer.  They each picked a cookie to leave Santa, Eden got the carrots for the reindeer and Parker poured the milk. 

They convinced me to let them all three sleep in Lily's room but that didn't last long!  Parker got tired of the girls talking so he went back to his own bed and Eden developed a really bad cough so I took her back to her bed and slept with her most of the night.

The kids slept until 6:45 which is actually a little later than I was expecting.  They couldn't wait to see what Santa had brought them!

Lily got exactly what she asked for- Diaper Surprise and a new doll stroller.  Parker got the new bike he had asked for and Eden got a karaoke machine.  She tells us every day that she wants to be a singer girl when she grows up so Santa must have thought this would be a perfect gift!

My plan was to let them open their stockings, eat breakfast, and then open presents.  But they were just too excited so we postponed breakfast and went straight to presents after the stockings!

Eden and Parker got Lily a Hello Kitty doll too!  Now she has two that she can push around in her stroller.

 The kids got Cory his annual Spider-Man ornament for his Spider-Man Christmas tree.

 More books for Parker!  So thankful he loves to read!

 Barbie cars for the girls

And a new watch for me!  My watch died about two months ago so I'm excited I won't have to use my cell phone to tell time anymore!

This was the first Christmas that we didn't have anywhere to go after our family Christmas and it was so nice to relax and not feel rushed.  After a leisurely breakfast, the kids got to start playing with their toys and Cory and I got to sit and enjoy watching them play. 

 

We did drive over to Emily and Jon's for dinner on Christmas night.  Emily and Jon surprised Addison, Aubrey, and Ryan by finishing out their upstairs bonus room/playroom so we went over to play with them for a few hours in their new room.

 

Another great Christmas had come and gone!  I always feel so blessed this time of year and am so thankful for my family and the time I get to spend with them during the holidays!  I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas too!

Christmas with Grandma and Papa

We enjoyed celebrating with Grandma and Papa on Christmas Eve this year. 

The kids were so excited about opening presents and did not want to wait until after dinner so we compromised and let them open their stockings before dinner.   The girls loved their Hello Kitty dolls and Parker loved his new Lego Movie pajama pants.

They played Connect Four while I finished getting dinner ready and then we enjoyed a great meal with ham (courtesy of Dr. Ranelle), scalloped potatoes, green beans, fruit salad and pretzel rolls. 

After dinner, the kids finally got to open their presents!  Eden and Lily loved their new Elsa doll and Parker had fun learning how to transform his helicopter into a dinosaur.

We had a great Christmas Eve with Grandma and Papa.  We are so blessed that both sets of grandparents live close and that we get to spend quality time with them at every holiday. 



Christmas at Granna and Granstan's

We celebrated Christmas with Granna and Granstan on Christmas Eve Eve this year because Uncle Jon was on shift on Christmas Eve and Aunt MerMer had to work on Christmas Day.  Luckily, the kids are still young enough that they don't care when we celebrate as long as they get to open a few presents!

 

We started our gathering with the annual family picture in front of Granna's Christmas tree.  The kids not only cooperated for our picture but for a few with Granna and Granstan too.  (It's amazing how well they cooperate when you tell them they can't open their presents until they smile for a few pictures!)

The kids were so excited to spend a couple of days with Aunt MerMer and Uncle Craig.  Craig has been such a blessing to our family.  He fits into our family so well and the kids adore him!

Parker got us started with a package from Aunt MerMer.  She wrapped his present in several other boxes and made him unwrap each one until he finally got to his present.  He thought that was very funny!  And it was very fitting that his present this year was a set of joke books!

The kids got lots of fun things from Granna, Aunt Emily and Aunt MerMer this year. 

After the kids finished opening their presents, we let them play in the kitchen with their new toys while we opened our presents. 

After a yummy Mexican dinner from Barrera's, the kids got ready for their annual Christmas play.  Lily was chosen to play the part of Mary this year and was so excited!  Parker, as always, was Joseph, Aubrey was the angel and Addison was the donkey.  (Eden and Ryan chose not to participate this year.)  They all did a great job with the play, especially Lily who did good with her first ever speaking part.

After they finished, they switched parts and performed the play one more time for us!

After the play, the kids changed into their new Christmas pajamas and we played one round of Marshmallow Toss before heading home for the night. 

It was a great family filled day and the kids were worn out by the time we got home!  It was a perfect start to all of our Christmas celebrations!