Christmas (for family)

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!

We hope our friends and family did too.

For our friends and family who are not on facebook,

I am putting our pictures up for you all to see.

Let's start off with Christmas Eve:

A Christmas Eve light looking hayride

We picked up some friends to take along with us

Some of the pretty lights we saw on our ride

In the Stonehaven neighborhood

This one was in Stonehaven too.  It came with music and all.  I'd hate to have their electricity bill.

After the ride, waiting to get into the house, frozen cold (well, for Alabama) and ready to get some hot cocoa and watch The Grinch

Earlier that day we anticipated the (strange to us former northerners) tradition of Santa coming through the neighborhood on a firetruck

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

They got candy canes for their Christmas cheer.

After the kids went to bed, we put out the gifts.  All ready to go for Christmas day

And then onto Christmas:

Our second year doing this: we start a fire at 6am and keep it going until bedtime.  Love this.

The kids opened up some gifts from Grandma & Grandpa Cook

Courtney's is a volcano kit

Kaidin's is growing crystals

Gavin's is an excavation kit

And Garrett's is a planet kit

Then onto bought gifts.  And Garrett's is. . .

A MarioKart Track!

Gavin's is . . .

A DSi - is he excited or what?!?

Courtney's is a gift that I had to drive a half hour for . . .

If her hair wasn't in her face, you'd see her screaming and if this picture had volume, you'd be deaf . . .

A large plush Sonic the Hedgehog

Kaidin has been talking about this game for months . . .

Yep, he's excited.

 On to Secret Sibling gifts.  

A blog post was done about what that is, so you can check it out here.

Mario Mushroom Toad

Froggy Slippers

Auburn painting

Soccer pillow

a happy sibling

A winter hat for Kaidin

A winter hat for Courtney

happy to see his hat

Mario hat

Luigi hat

And a gift for the man of the house

a hat!  bet you didn't guess that, did you?

Court made her daddy a gift

a door hanger

it immediately was hung on the door handle

 On to the rest of the festivities:

Awaiting the feast with bubbly

Our Christmas dinner: Ham, mashed potato, corn, carrots, gravy, biscuits, cranberry sauce and applesauce

Reading from Luke 1 & 2

And Matthew 2

We all made a cake and put candles in it.  That's a 2012

We sang happy birthday and blew out the candles.

We watched this movie while we ate cake.  Love this movie.

Eating cake, watching a movie and playing with toys

That cake was plate-licking good

Our traditional Christmas 'supper' contains finger foods

And as I get the kids ready for bed I look at this and smile.  A true sign of happy children.  And I am happy to have each one of them.  Best earthly gifts ever!

Merry Christmas!! - from our family to yours