Christmas

Christmas Eve was a fun day! Grandma was here and we made cookies for Santa. I need the secret for making pretty cut-out cookies. Ours started out in shapes and ended up looking like big round cookies. Genna had a great time decorating them, though.

After the beautiful candlelight communion service at church, we came home, ate dinner, opened presents from Uncle Don and Aunt Joan and then went riding around to look at Christmas lights. We saw Santa on the firetruck 3 times! He even stopped to tell us Merry Christmas!

Genna LOVED the big box of plastic food! We have been playing restaurant for several days now.

Andrew got a fun firetruck which he has been loving, too!

Cookies and chocolate milk for Santa. Genna always insists on chocolate milk because that's what she likes best, so surely Santa does, too.

Christmas morning we woke up to find that Santa had brought all 3 things that Genna asked for!
A white cat pillow pet...

a Barbie swimming pool for doggies...

and a present for Rexi.
Rexi (Genna's betta fish) got a beautiful pink princess castle for her tank and another pretty plant with flowers on it in her very own stocking!

Andrew got a lot of fun things, too. A stick horse (which he was terrified of), a puppy pillow pet, a tractor pulling a wagon, but his favorite 2 presents were his snack trap and plastic ice cream cone!

He also really liked his cell phone.

My parents and Andrea and her family were coming later in the day for lunch. We were afraid they would get snowed in, but they did make it for a late lunch.
Andrew ate early so that he could take a nap.

We were so thankful to have so many of our family members with us on Christmas day!
Grandma (Brian's mom) was here, too, although we don't have any pictures.
Genna, Mary Frances and Charlie...

Brian, Kevin, Andrea, Memama...

Andrea, me and Grandaddy. Notice my new, beautiful portrait of Genna behind me. We are so proud to have it!

After lunch, there were more presents to open!

Aunt Anda gave him a big bag full of trucks and cars. He was so excited! Here he is checking them all out.

We had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to another great year!

Bean bags

Memama and Grandaddy gave the kids bean bags for Christmas. We really weren't sure if they would like them or not, but they definitely do!

Daddy does, too!

Christmas at Memama and Grandaddy's

We went to Memama and Grandaddy's house the weekend before Christmas. We made Christmas cookies, saw lots of family members and just had fun!

Memama and Grandaddy gave the 3 older kids soft robes. They LOVED them and all wore them to bed that night. Andrew got slipper boots which he really loved, too. Notice him in the picture...he did not want to sit still, but he did show off his boots!

Best friends!

Galleria field trip

Genna's class went on a field trip to the Galleria during the last week of school before the break.
They all got to see Santa...

and they rode the carousel twice!
The second time she rode by herself for the first time ever. She's becoming such a big girl and beginning to get over a lot of her fears from last year.

The first picture was a very fake smile, so I told her to look happy. This is the face she made.

Christmas card photo shoot

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

December???

Where have the first 2 weeks of December gone??? I can't figure it out...
Anyway, we've been busy.
We had Breakfast with Santa...as you can see, it didn't really go very well. I have a similar picture when I was his age where my sister is smiling big and I am screaming.

Genna was very excited and I think this was the first year that she actually told Santa what she wanted for Christmas...a pillow pet, a Barbie swimming pool and a present for Rexi (her fish).

After breakfast with Santa, Genna stayed for Angel Workshop where she made several presents that are very secret not to be opened until Christmas. Andrew and I went to a birthday party for our sweet cousin, Nick. He had a great time playing with lots of new toys.

A few days later, we got this fun surprise from Andrea, Kevin, Charlie and Mary Frances!
Needless to say, the basement is now the favorite place to be in the house.

Today, we attempted to take a Christmas card photo. Most of the pictures look a little like the next 2...

But we did manage to get a few decent ones and one cute one of both of them that is going on the card...