2 to Grow With : Christmas 2016

Christmas Eve Jimmy grew up shopping and doing the Santa picture at the mall (regardless of age). So he always tries to save a few things to pick up with the girls and if we don't do the Santa picture at the Choo Choo (our favorite place) he does it at the mall.

Maggie age 7 and Gracie age 10

She looks like she is a teenager not 10! Love this girl to pieces!

We were learning how to take care of the pool.

Christmas Eve night we all get our new Christmas PJs to snuggle up in and then drive around to see the lights.

My favorite packaging for the PJs. (Hobby Lobby and a nice embroidered initial)

I love this smile. (You can see her teeth are beginning to have some gaps which is exactly what we needed the appliance to do.)

First Christmas with braces!

Mommy note: wash their PJs before wrapping. The girls are so sensitive they were itchy so had to be washed so they could wear them in the morning. Last years PJs for seeing lights!

This pup is so well loved

We had a wonderful Christmas in Tennessee. While we do miss our extended family on Christmas there is something sweet about waking up in our home Christmas morning. We have always said anyone is welcome to joins here!

Gift giving is about to happen!

Snuggles before they are allowed to go to the keeping room. Mommy and Daddy always want to have showers and be ready for the day before we tackle the morning of gifts.

They could hardly stand to being in there right away!

Stockings first!

Shopkins was one of Maggie's top requests

Gracie wanted fitbit bands

Santa brought Maggie BB8 and Gracie R2D2 iPod controlled characters. They were so neat!

Bella loved her toys too!

Maggie has asked for a harmonica to replace one she had lost.

From Mommy and Daddy hoop earrings

and an Eeyore pandora charm

Maggie at the beach found the R2D2 pillow and has asked for it ever since. She LOVED it! It was a Star Wars Christmas for her as she also got Star Wars sheets and a Darth Vader bead for her Pandora bracelet too.

Homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast!

The afternoon we did "operation take down" which means all the Christmas decorations are down and up for next year. We started this when we were first married as we always left shortly after Christmas to spend New Years in Atlanta and celebrate with Jimmy's family. We never wanted to come back to the house with it all still up waiting for us to get it down. So we still do that.

It was such a nice day and unusually warm we were outside and enjoying looking at the pool (and some of us got in....). Bella was the first one in really because she was drinking from the bowls and fell in. Oops. But she did great and swam to the tanning shelf to get out.