Christmas in under our belts (boy, is it ever! Waaaayyyy too many cookies this year!) Here's the nutshell version of our very blessed holiday week....
*****
Christmas Eve included church, then pizza for dinner, followed by our 2nd annual "Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!" party (including angel food cake and a reading of the Nativity story.) In the picture, the kids are creating the nativity scene as I read the story. Then it was a quick dash into our Santa jammies (left once again by the shelf elf....see last year's post if you're not familiar with him.) I really thought this year the kids would have a hard time settling down, but they believed the "Santa won't stop at our house if he knows you're awake" story and we had no problems getting them to bed, thankfully. Bob and I watched Christmas movies while we got the gifts ready around the tree.
Bob took a break with Sophie while I snapped this photo of the tree. Santa's gifts are wrapped in plain red paper with the kids' first inital on them. This avoids the whole 'I recognize this handwriting' problem when they begin to get suspicious in a year or so.
We were amazed at their patience on Christmas morning. They came in to get us up around 7AM, but didn't pester to go downstairs until we were fully awake. Here they are waiting at the top of the steps.
J is definitely into all things "science." Santa brought this cool talking microscope which tells facts about each creature. Here's a black widow spider slide.
L was thrilled with her new doll and nursery playset. She's really getting into Mommy mode now. You can tell by the way she's talking to Bob that she means business!
J also got a Matchbox shark park. He spent hours with it last week. The funny thing is, I got it at a rummage sale for 2 dollars and it has a missing part! The boys got a joint gift from us...the Bat Cave, complete with lots of heroes and villians. That will keep them busy all winter.
M continues with his sports obsession. Daddy found a vintage Moses Malone jersey for him and we also got him a USA map. He is forever asking us where teams are located, so now we can point out the cities and show him how near or far each team is to Philly.
I came out from behind the camera for this photo with my not-so-small-anymore 3 peas.
What a blessing they are to me!
Murray found a quiet place to spend the day....smart cat.
That evening it was off to Grandma and Pop's house for dinner and another round of gifts.
This picture of them in the Jeep is a milestone moment. We used boosters and were able to fit all 3 across the backset for the first time which means we can take Bob's work vehicle now. Saves alot of gas and mileage for the van.
J got a venus fly trap. It's dormant now, but should start growing again in March. It's a perfect gift....science + sharp teeth. M & L enjoyed their first experience with video games. Uncle Dave and Sharon got them a VTech Smile Motion system. Cabin fever just got a little more manageable!
L & Grandma put on their finery while the doxies show off their attire.
Yes, that's Sophie wearing a Snuggie.
Ready to call it a day... back in the Santa jammies before heading home.
2 days later, another gathering, this time with the whole Gunning family. 30 people in all now...the crowd is growing! Here's M with Great-Granny.
The boy cousins enjoyed the train set while the girls played ponies.
6 great-grandkids sitting on a couch....one fell off and hollered, "Ouch!"
(No grandkids were harmed in the taking of this photo.)
Great-Great Aunt Betty reads one last story before the party ends.
What a perfect ending to a perfect Christmas season!
Hope yours was just as wonderful and memorable as ours was!
No comments:
Post a Comment