What A Christmas

Christmas was truly amazing this year.

We started out celebrating Christmas with Emma and Mommy heading to church with her Mimi and Nanny and Emma did amazing. I am starting to introduce a little bit more of our religion into Emma's life now that she is a little bit older and although she won't quite "get it" for a little while longer, if she is old enough to know about Santa and the North Pole, she is old enough to know about God and Heaven. So it was really important to me to take some time out of the holiday hustle and bustle and remember what it's all about.

After church, we headed home to kick things off with Mimi, Pop, Nanny and some of new soon-to-be family members as we also celebrated my brother getting engaged! So I'm getting a new sister in law to add to the two awesome ones that I already have, and I couldn't be more excited! Wes made an awesome dinner like usual (man he is a keeper), the babies played their little hearts out in their red and green Christmas jammies and we just relaxed.

Before bedtime, we made sure to leave out some cookies and milk for Santa, along with some carrots and celery for the reindeer. Emma had insisted on the celery so I was glad that we actually had some. Low and behold, when we woke up on Christmas morning, it was clear that Santa and his reindeer loved the little snack! Although, Emma was pretty puzzled as to why Santa left the chocolate part of the cookie which is obviously the best part. He must have been full. :)



Emma woke up about 6:30AM on Christmas morning and we were trying to keep her in our room until Squishy woke up but she was just too excited to contain, so we headed downstairs to see all the goodies that Santa brought!

Emma had been talking about two things (for about three months) that she wanted for Christmas. A guitar (or "bitar" as Emma calls it) and a Pooh-Bear sippy cup that she spotted a long time ago. Every morning, she would tell "Santa the Elf" that is what she wanted for Christmas. Wouldn't you know, the real Santa must have gotten the memo because both of those things were waiting for her as she came down the steps. She spotted the guitar immediately (we like to leave one present unwrapped each year) and was too excited to even talk! She just pointed and kind of mumbled and eventually got herself together and ran over screaming "MY BITAR! MY BITAR!" and I think she could have been done with Christmas right then and there.

We were hoping to wait to really start opening presents when Squishy woke up but wouldn't you know the little guy slept for almost another hour. So Emma started tearing into her presents from Santa and eventually The Squish woke up and joined us. Although he was more interested in eating the paper and bows, but he clearly had a good time.

He has recently started to do this "smile" where he scrunches up his little nose and eyes and shows off those four little pearly whites. The Squishy, in all his glory.

Of course, he is still a little drool factory and despite all the toys surrounding him, he just wanted to play with the tag on his big sister's new bumble-bee shirt.

I ended up putting the camera down for most of the morning so that I could truly enjoy Christmas with my babies, and it was amazing. We had the perfect, relaxing morning, just the four of us where Emma had cookies before breakfast, we all stayed in our jammies, made a complete disaster of the house, and loved every minute of it.

The Squishy went down for his morning nap while Wes and I got cleaned up and Emma even took a little morning nap. We then headed off to Mimi and Pop's house to destroy their house as well celebrate Christmas with them. Although we had an amazing Christmas, we were missing all of our family members that we weren't able to celebrate with like Emma and Squishy's Gigi and Papa and their Aunt Adrienne and Uncle Kevin and their other cousins as well. You guys were certainly in our hearts on Christmas as well!

I didn't end up taking too many pictures for the rest of the day since A) it was pure chaos like any true holiday B) the babies didn't stop moving the entire time and C) the babies didn't stop moving the entire time. I still haven't been able to get a picture of both Emma and Jackson dressed up together, but decided that I give up and that a trip to the Picture People is in order soon.

Another "Squishy" smile. :)

The only other time I could get a picture of Emma was when she was so tired she couldn't even move. She isn't shy about telling you when she has had enough, so about 6:00PM she started telling us that she was ready to go home. After snuggling her Pop for a little bit while Mommy fed the manly and got him in his jammies, she ended up getting her sixth wind for the day, and was good until about 7:00PM. Then they both completely crashed in the car.



All in all, it was a perfect Christmas, and I am already looking forward to next year. We very much missed our Gigi and Papa but can't wait to see them again and are sending all of our love to all of our family and friends this holiday season.

I will never forget the magic in my babies eyes on Christmas Day. There isn't anything like it in the entire world.