Christmas Day!

Twas the night before Christmas, so we laid out our cookies and notes for Santa, and headed off to bed. The next morning, we decided to torture the kids and make pancakes for breakfast before letting them see their gifts from Santa or open any presents. Aside from trying to sneak a peak every now and then, they did really well.
One thing about this Christmas I hope to never forget was during Christmas Eve dinner with around 50 or so family of my grandmothers, Cooper was deep in thought about something. Then he turned to me and asked; "Are Mary and Joseph on the donkey right now?" My four year old son was thinking that since tomorrow was Jesus birthday, that Mary and Joseph must be on their way to Bethlehem to have him right now. It blew me away that he was insightful enough to think of this! So, I explained to him that yes, Jesus was born on Christmas day, but only once a very long time ago, just like he was born once and we celebrate his birthday every year. He seemed to understand, and went back to eating.

Every Christmas I am reminded of how truly blessed I am with my family, my husband, my children and most of all with a savior who would have come even if I was the only one to believe in him! Our day was so relaxing and peacful, with lots of fun, toys, naps and food. Papaw and Jean worked so hard to make our time there relaxing and full of wonderful memories. Jean even went so far as to have a seperate tree for each of the boys, with a singing puppy stocking on top. She knows how to make each one of them feel so special.(spoiled rotten) We love them so very much!

Making Cookies for Santa!

We decided to let the boys make some cookies for Santa. This is another tradition I'd like to start doing ever year. Plus it was much easier with several extra pairs of hands to help! The boys had a blast doing it, and it was good for them each to have their own space to work, their own dough to roll and their own cookies to decorate. It was a great memory to make!

The second best thing about Papaw and Jean's house...

Jean's tub! They love to "swim" in Jean's jacuzzi tub. She always adds tuns and tuns of bubbles so that when the jets come on it turns into a bubble wonderland. Carter was terrified of the jets, as was Conner, but we eventually warmed them up to the idea and they got bubbles and water on every last inch of that bathroom. Jean always makes sure they have a blast at her house! And boy do they!

On our way to Alabama!

We left for Alabama on Friday and it took us about 10 hours to drive. We left at around 9 o'clock, PM so that the boys would sleep most of the way. Cooper slept the whole time, but Carter is a very light sleeper, so he woke up ever time we had to stop for gas. Conner was in and out, depending on how loud Carter was whenever he woke up. Day, me and my mom each drove in three and a half hour shifts, so it wasn't too bad. We were so excited to get there and we went straight to golf carts and golf balls. It was great to be there!

Christmas before Christmas

Since we would be at my grandparents in Alabama for Christmas, we decided to open a few gifts the night before we left. We were already taking enough gifts with us to fill up the entire trunk of my dad car, so we figured less was more. We got the boys a kitchen to share between the three of them, and my mom got them the microphone sing along toy, since they both love to sing...mostly songs from High School Musical.

Making our Gingerbread House!

We took a stab at our first annual decorating of a gingerbread house. The boys were so excited, and had such a good time working on it. I'd even venture to say that we may have made it all the way through with out any fighting or physical harm! Quite impressive, I'd say! This is a new tradition for sure! Now they ask every day..."Can we eat it yet?"

Christmas Family Photos

We had our pictures done for our Christmas cards this year at a place called Portrait Innovations. They did a wonderful job, and I didn't even want to slit my wrists! Don't get me wrong...getting family pictures taken is a HUGE whoopin' but overall, it went pretty smoothly. I should probably admit that before we even left the house, I laid down a pretty hefty bribe to the older boys, informing them that if they were on their best behavior, and did everything they were asked to do they could go to the dollar store afterward and pick out whatever they wanted. I'm not at all above a little monitary motivation! They had a few moments, but overall they did great! Enjoy the pictures!

Carter's First Birthday

Carter turned one in October...yes, I'm a little behind...but here they are none the less. Carter has an obsession with balls, so we had a ball themed party. We had extra balls inside the bounce house and a little pool filled with balls for the smaller friends. As hard as it is to see my baby grow up, he sure is fun at one! He has the widest range of facial expressions that I've ever seen on a person so small. He thinks his brother's are the most hillarious people on the planet, and he is a daddy's boy to the core! He is the best hugger of the three, and gives great open mouth kisses. Even though he was the biggest surprise of our lives, he's been the greatest joy! Happy Birthday Carter! We love you!