HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Hope everyone celebrated the end of 2012 with a bang.  We tried our best.  We had a little get together with our friends.  Good friends and Chinese food...isn't that what NYE is all about?!?

Time to work on those resolutions......

Christmas Vacation -

We were all excited to have the week off from work and school.  It flew by!  We were busy mostly playing with all our new Christmas toys.  We did manage to get out a bit too.  We went to the Ocean Explorium one day, got set up with our new skis for ski school next week, and hanging out with friends.

 

We got Open Season from Santa so we enjoyed the movie and popcorn one snowy afternoon -

 Luke had his first sleepover birthday party with one of his little friends down here.  He has slept over at his cousin's house but this was his first friend sleepover.  He was SO excited.  Little boy is growing up!

 Luke created a cage with water and food (a single Sun Chip) for his pet iguana.  We will NEVER be getting a real one so good that he pretends with rubber ones -

 First snowfall of the season.  Kids were SO excited for some outside playtime.  Daddy took them sledding too!  They were equally excited for the hot chocolate afterwards -

Wheat Germ

Paige:  "What is that stuff?"
Mom:  "That is Wheat Germ."
Paige:  "Wheat Germ, that is silly. Yuck!"
Mom:  "Do you want some?"
Paige:  "No way, it has germs! I will have germs if I have that stuff."

Christmas Day!

Once we had a chance to play with our Santa gifts for a bit, it was off to Stow to celebrate. 

Kids were SO excited to see Chase and Madison and hear all that Santa left them.

 Handsome Harry.  When I put out nice clothes he always asks, "Why do I have to look handsome today?"

 The great-grands with Nana

 The people.

 Pint size gangsta' rapper Santa?

 Time for rip and tear.

 Many more great gifts.

 In his glory.

He Came!!!

FINALLY after what seemed like an eternity of decorating, singing christmas songs, making crafts at school, baking, holiday parties, and hanging out with Maxwell, SANTA finally came.  As usual he did not disappoint. The kids got a lot of great stuff.

Opening stockings -

 

The piles -

 

 Let the games begin -

 Someone is already tired from all that unwrapping -

 A moment of calm in the storm -

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

I was lucky enough to be off Christmas Eve this year.  We were also lucky enough to have Anne and Darrick come to celebrate Christmas Eve with us.  The kids were very excited, as you can imagine!

 

Our friends brought over this gingerbread lighthouse for the kids to decorate.  The husband does these every year from scratch.  It is kind of amazing.  Kids loved decorating it!

 

 

 The ladies.

 

 

 Men.

 

Opening presents from Anne and Darrick and their Christmas Eve PJs from Mimi!

 

Can't forget to sprinkle our reindeer food.

 And put out the cookies, milk and carrots.

 One last wish list to Santa.