Loving re-living a very sweet Christmas while uploading these pictures. Every time I start to curse keeping up with the blog, I am reminded of how happy I am to have all of these sweet memories written down. Can't beat these times with little ones.
Some Christmas pictures are on a post from December, but here are the rest!
Loaded these boys up in the car after dinner and the bath one night to go drive around and look at Christmas lights! John is always so happy to have surprise that includes postponing bed time. He lasted an hour or so and then they both crashed. It was still super fun and I had a light bulb moment about tacky Christmas decorations--yes...going overboard can be tacky at Christmas, but it makes little kids beyond happy to see a blow up cruise ship captain Santa on a giant ocean liner. My hat's off to you, tacky Christmas-ers. You have made our four year olds year.
One Saturday we headed up to St. Augustine with some of the other resident families with high hopes of riding the trolley and looking at the lights (so high in fact that I bought the tickets before we went), but we learned that you cannot get on that trolley on a Saturday before Christmas unless you are willing to wait in line for over two hours so we walked around in stead! It was still a lot of fun.
I love this picture! Closest we'll get to snow for awhile!
The lights really are beautiful. You can't really tell with my cell phone camera pictures.
This was before Sam fell off this thing they were sitting on. Oh well...it was cute before the concussion. Just kidding...he probably didn't have a concussion.
My boo thang
The girls and John and Ollie. Love these gals!
This is a random picture of our Christmas tree as I was turning all the lights off and getting ready for bed. Is anything in the world more peaceful than a house with sleeping children and the only light that of a Christmas tree? Makes me all warm and fuzzy.
Making cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve with my big boy!
And checking out the Northpole map of course. I loved this Christmas with this guy.
Christmas Eve pics are out of order because some of are from my phone and some are from my real camera. These are the phone ones and some real camera pics will be at the end. Forgive me for being too lazy to move them all around.
Christmas Eve night for the last three years, we have gone to mass, come home and had a big dinner (that I cooked...what? when did I become the adult around here), opened one present and then got ready for bed. I think I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas day.
John opened up his backscratcher from the McCormicks! Apparently he told them that is what he wanted while we were all at Disney and they found one! God love those McCormicks!
How Sam opened his gifts. :)
Santa came to see Sam! The one big present that Santa was supposed to bring Sam arrived the day after Christmas and Santa and I were both worried that Sam's side of the tree would look empty. Shame on both of us. Sam was more than taken care of. Sometimes I can feel a bit bad about how much our kids receive at Christmas knowing how many kids go without. Can't take the social work out of a girl I guess.
Santa came and visited John as well with his very own baseball field in the back yard as well. John told Santa at the mall that he wanted a baseball field! :/ Santa explained what a big request that was but did find some bases and a glove and ball to get him started.
Mr. was so thrilled with how many costumes he got.
My very favorite Samism. Looked over his presents and then saw that there was still a little cookie left and went straight for it!
Sam was most into John's plasma car. Of course.
The many faces of Murray Christmas.
Matt had to go in and round so we took the toys outside to play for a bit. Sam looked so funny walking around the neighborhood in his robe.
Christmas night we headed to the Carsons for a big potluck style meal and games with the other residents. It was a blast and a sweet way to spend Christmas.
Sam's big present finally got here! Santa delivers the day after Christmas too, poor man! He is obsessed with this thing and climbed all over it for hours. Now he has figured out he can push it to whatever he wants to climb on top of for a little extra boost. Plan backfired to keep my climber to just climbing on this.
The day after Christmas my dad, stepmom, and little sister came to visit! We are always so glad to have them! We did what we had to do the day after Christmas near Daytona. We dragged them to the Twilight II Motel for the lights display. ;) John found an elf on the shelf and was so impressed!
And then a few days later, we headed back to St Augustine to catch that trolley since the crowds were finally settling down a bit! It was definitely fun.
My 14 month old is still in bjorn, but it is the only way to keep him in one place.
John fell asleep on the way home still wearing his glasses for looking at the lights. Sweet boy.
And he is still in his halloween pjs because he loves them, and it's not worth fighting over pajamas.
And back to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day pics from my real camera!
Poor John is in charge of trying to hold Sam still for pictures...not an easy job.
And he's off!
Christmas morning faces are the best.
And so are sneaky-I ran off with brothers plasma car again faces.
Just Elmo and a ninja turtle opening presents.
What a sweet, sweet Christmas! Until next year!