Christmas Times Three

We did so much this Christmas season that blogging about any of it seemed daunting, but I figure it's now or never. December 19th we had Terry's sibling Christmas. It's pretty much the only time we get to see his sister and her kids all year, so we really look forward to it. Of course Grandma and Grandpa spoil the heck out of everyone. This year especially. Tato got lots of clothes, a book and a cute talking tea set. Olie got clothes too, a book and an octopus that blows bubbles and sings in the tub. They also got teddy bears and the cutest little hat from the Wilders. I got the sweetest gift ever: Emergency Essentials Readywise 1 Emergency Kit. That sucker has everything. And Terry got a Wii! We have been having the biggest blast with it. Wii bowling and Wii Tennis are sooooo fun. And even though I suck at Mario, it's way fun to play that with Terry after the girls go to bed. It was so great to see all of Terry's siblings and nieces and nephews together in one place. We had so much fun!

Here is Tato enjoying a cup of tea with her new bear. And a brownie. I believe the bear opted for a lemon torte.
"Yes it is fine weather we're having today Teddy Bear." And yes, she named her bear Teddy Bear. . .
That night after we got home the girls got all comfy on the couch and watched Garfield Christmas. They cuddled so close to each other the whole show. It was dang cute.

On Christmas Eve we went to Terry's extended family party and Tato had a blast. All of his cousins happen to have little girls her age so it was perfect for her. She kept coming up to me and saying, "I play with my friends." I couldn't even get her to hold still for a picture.

After some running around and visiting, Santa showed up!!!! Tato was pretty excited this year. Still a little hesitant, but once she saw the present and the candy cane, she was his best friend.

Olie on the other hand . . . "Hey where did Daddy go . . . and who is this guy?" Then she burst into tears.

We opened their traditional Christmas Jammies that Santa brings them every Christmas Eve. Then we had a delicious dinner with ham and Turkey and rolls and potatoes and sweet potatoes and pie and . . . hang on let me wipe my drool off the keyboard. . .

Christmas morning we had a nice quiet time with just our little family. Tato was excited to see that Santa had left her a little notebook and some pencils. He also left her a My Little Pony plush animal and some M & Ms (or as she calls them, M's). From mom and dad she got a magnedoodle, a memory game, an ornament and a book. From her friends Knightley and Mason she and Olie got a bus full of blocks. From Olie she got counting flashcards, and from Uncle Nate and Aunt Jill, she and Olie got the Little People Doll House. Whew, spoiled . . .

Olie got a toy cell phone and a plush flower from Santa. From mom and dad she got Fisher Price Baby's First Doll (Chewy's Sister), an ornament and a book. From Tato she got a basket of plush vegetables, and of course all the dual gifts that Tato got.

Ok look really hard at the above picture and guess what I got . . . I'll give you a hint . . . my skin isn't usually that clear. Yeah I got Photoshop Elements 9!!! Yippee! I don't know completely how to use it yet, but I'm learning quite a bit. I also got jammie pants from the girls. From Terry I got photoshop, the new Golden Sun DS game, a pair of jeans, a really cute apron, and an ornament. I got an outfit from Nate and Jill. And Santa put a ton of tea tree oil stuff from The Body Shop in my stocking. Whew, spoiled . . .

Olie hugging her plush flower. She is such a cuddly baby.

From me Terry got a new cell phone, a pull up bar, an excel instructional book, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts and an ornament. From Nate and Jill he got a sweater and a t-shirt. And Santa brought him slippers and a pair of pajama pants.

After we opened gifts Terry and I cooked and baked. It was really fun. We made rolls, stuffing and a weird dessert I found in a magazine. Then we took it over to Roger and Cassie's house for a Christmas feast. Cassie made the best mashed potatoes and . . . ok I have to stop blogging about food or I'm going to do something I regret . . . like ordering and eating a whole pizza. We got to play Roger's new Kinect he got for Christmas. It was really funny. We played games and ate. The girls were pretty ornery though, and I'm not sure why. Maybe they both had teeth coming in or they were a little sick or something . . . cause they were baaaaad. And they usually are pretty sweet. Uncle Roger and Aunt Cassie got the girls some really adorable outfits, and two big stuffed animals. We played the funniest game of Taboo I've even been a part of. At one point Cassie blurted out naked bear suit . . . We had so much fun.

Tato in her Christmas Jammies.

Olie in her Christmas Jammies, hugging Chewy's sister.

All in all it was a fairly secular Christmas for us, which makes me feel bad . . . I need a nativity decoration or something other than Garfield Christmas for the girls to watch so I don't feel so worldly . . .
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We sure did. I can't wait til next Christmas!!!

Christmas!

It took me awhile to get around to it, but I am finally putting some Christmas pictures up. Every year on Christmas Eve we go down to Terry's cousin's house and have a big dinner and all the kids get to sit on santa's lap. It's a lot of fun.

Tato cried when we put her on Santa's lap so Terry just had to hold her while she received her present.
Her favorite part seemed to be opening presents. Of course she liked playing with the wrapping paper more than anything she got for Christmas. It's tradition in their family to get a pair of jammies from Santa on Christmas Eve.

Ta da! Here she is in her Christmas jammie!

We had a lot of fun, and it was great to catch up with all of Terry's cousins to see what they have been up to. We rarely see them, usually only at Christmas, so it was great to get together with everyone again. When we got home we put Tato to bed and me and Terry hustled about getting the stockings ready for Santa to fill.
Tato woke us up bright and early (around 8:00. Wait, what do you mean that's not early?) We got up and peeked in our stockings to see what we got. My brother was coming over at 10 to open presents with us, and at around 9:30 Terry had to practically tackle me to keep me from getting at the presents. (wink)
Here she is on her first Christmas morning, staring at the tree, or what's under it rather.

Santa brought her a panda!

Here she is opening presents. Again, she absolutely loved all the wrapping paper.

We were lucky to have my brother over to celebrate with us. Tato finally warmed up to having someone besides mommy and daddy hold her.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas filled with friends, family and food!

I'm Getting Excited for Christmas!

Only a few days til Christmas! It took me longer than normal this year to get into the spirit of the Holiday. I am usually excited for Christmas mid-November! It was probably a mixture of missing the TSO concert and knowing that I won't have my whole family over to my place Christmas morning to open presents this year. When Terry and I were both working it was easy to blow 100 bucks on a concert but we just couldn't make it this year, and with my mom moving to Arizona and most of my brothers and sisters now in relationships, they are all going to be somewhere else for Christmas. So I was pretty Scroogy up until a couple weeks ago when we put up the tree, listened to Christmas music, and drank hot chocolate. It's funny how something as simple as a quiet night at home listening to Holiday tunes and putting lights on a tree can instantly make you feel happy and peaceful. And the closer it gets the more excited I am!

Anyways, the picture I posted is just a fun screenshot I took of my character from World of Warcraft, dressed up in a snowman costume. I'll post real pictures of all the Holiday festivities after Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!