Merry Christmas 2009

This Christmas was the most fun I've had since I was Hannah & Mason's age. To be able to re-live the excitement of Santa thru their eyes is so exciting! Naturally, we used Santa as a threatening mechanism for about a month prior to his arrival. I'm not quite sure the Easter Bunny will have the same effect. :)

My dad flew in from St. Louis the week before Christmas which the kids LOVED! He's so high energy...which goes quite well with my children. They played non stop! Papa made a homemade kite and flew it in the park with them, he played hide and seek for hours, and he even baked with the kids! Jim and I left my dad with Hannah and Mason one afternoon while we went for a Harley ride. When we returned, the kitchen counters were filled with rice krispy treats, cupcakes (decorated with m&m's), sugar cookies, pudding, and Jello!!! You would've thought somebody smoked a bowl while we were away! LOL (oops, did I just say that outloud?)

Here's my dad with the kids as they set out milk and cookies for Santa...and upon Hannah's request for the second year in a row: a pickle for the reindeer.

One tradition we have in our house for Christmas (besides new Christmas pj's opened on Christmas eve and Orange Rolls on Christmas morning)...is that the doorways leading to the living room get wrapped too! This way, if little ones wake in the middle of the night, they can't see anything that's taken place under the tree! In the morning, the kids get to TEAR thru the paper like at the start of a football game...and they LOVE IT!

This year, for some reason, the wrapping paper on one of the doorways came off. At 8am, Hannah comes TEARING into our room and says, "MOMMY! DADDY! Santa came! And I got a new doll house!!!! Santa Came!" She was frantic! Well, we got up, taped the wrapping paper back up and let her tear into it anyway. :)

We got Mason a train set this year...and it was a big hit. It circled under the Christmas tree...and at the push of a button it sounds "ALL ABOARD!"

Not too bad of a mess (although this is AFTER all the wrapping paper and boxes were thrown out)

Later that day, we all went to my mom's house for dinner and more presents. Even my dad joined! It was so much fun seeing Jackson rip into the gifts right along side Hannah and Mason. The cousins really adore each other and have a blast whenever they're together! As you can see below....

Hannah...dishing out some love to her Nana.

We bought Jackson the "Let's Go Fishing" game which was a big hit!

For the second year in a row, the adults participated in a white elephant gift exchange. The gifts are good ones! Set at $75-$100, we're always excited to see what we'll end up with! My dad received scratch off lotter tickets (he's still not a millionaire though), my mom got a really nice camping chair, Jim got a gift card to a liquor store so he could buy a keg for his new kegerator, and I got a gift card to Southwest Airlines!

Here's a picture of Stacy choosing her own gift! A gift card to a salon and day spa!

We always try to get a picture of the cousins together when we can...this was the best one!

Merry Christmas!!!