The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

We came home from MawMaw's and tried to get a

pic by the tree before tearing into a few special gifts.

 

Every year the kids get Christmas pajamas from us...

 

 

 

 

 ...and something special from each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we got our pjs on,

 

 sprinkled reindeer food in the yard,

 

 

spilled poured milk and cookies for Santa,

 

 

bid farewell to Elmer,

 

read Luke 2, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, at 10:30

 I checked the Norad Santa tracker to see where the big guy was. I

  found a phone number and we called. A nice young man told us

  that Santa would be in Alabama from 9-1. My girl promptly told

 me she had 10 minutes to get to sleep. And at 10:52 she was out.

(*Notice the pajamas next to her:)

Christmas Eve 2012

We always have our Christmas gathering with Justin's parents on Christmas Eve afternoon/evening. This year they cooked boiled shrimp and crab legs (my favorite:). The only thing missing was the sand and the ocean;). Maybe next year, ha! 

After we filled our bellies, the kids and I made reindeer food.

We even poured some in MawMaw's yard in hopes that the big

 guy would stop at her house and leave her a few prizes too;)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we swapped things up a bit and let MawMaw open her

 present first. Back in the summer we had the kids' hand prints

put on a platter and made a flower garden out of them. 

 

 

And, of course, there were presents galore for all

 the little people (and a few for us bigger folks too:).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year the girls got special surprises...

 

 

 

 

 

Tumbling mats...which we learned also double as wrestling mats;)!

  And (drum roll please) toy of the night goes to...

 

The stairs;)

Cake & Cookies {Christmas Eve Day}

Every year on Christmas Eve we spend the day at Nana's baking a birthday cake for Jesus, cookies for Santa, and other goodies. This year was no different other than the fact that we never got to the "other goodies" because two certain somebodies got in a flour fight in Nana's kitchen. It's a good thing Nana found the whole thing funny and told us to go home and take a nap, because it would have taken a nerve pill for me to clean up the mess these two made! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I went downstairs to get something out of Moms' oven,

 Mama went to the sink, and this is where things went awry...

 

Nursing Home, Caroling & HBD Jesus

When the children performed their Christmas Program a few weeks ago they all brought gifts to take to nursing home residents. On Wednesday we all met over there and went caroling and delivered the gifts. It was so humbling to see how a simple gesture put such a big smile on the faces of those elderly people. I hope it is an experience that my children will remember and cherish!

 

That night the youth and children went caroling, and

 it is possible that these three had way too much fun;)!

 

The children sang the special music at church

this morning...and they make my heart happy!

 Merry Christmas Eve Eve!!

Christmas with the MawMaws:)

Last night we started our strand of Christmas celebrations by

going to MawMaw Nell's. We are very thankful to have her

home for Christmas after recovering from a recent stroke and

heart attack. Our families are busting the seams of that little

house, and we are making memories that will last a lifetime!

 

 

 

Tonight we celebrated at the McCollums', where there are now 

 more kids than I can count. It's cramped and sweltering hot in that 

 little house, and I hope my babies always remember the feeling of 

  spending time there with their great-grandparents. We are blessed!