Christmas 2017

Christmas Eve we always do appetizers for dinner, new PJs and then drive around and look at Christmas lights with hot chocolate.   This year the gils thought Bella needed something so we made her a knot blanket as her PJs.   My crew is always my heart! I love our family traditions and this year it was sweet to hear the girls really talk about wha they enjoy and expect as far as time together, not gifts.   It was a wonderful start to a long weekend celebrating Jesus birth.  

Christmas morning we try to make it to 7am before we are all up ready for gifts.  This allows coffee to be made and maybe a sip consumed.  The girls were up about 6:30 and had to snuggle in our bed a little before we started in on gifts. 

A few fun facts about this year.  

--With the family room mini remodel we did not decorate the full house.  In fact, I could have done with just a small Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, but the rest of the family was not having that.  We did decorate the tree but limited it to that this year. 

--I was not as quick to wrap (or buy) gifts.  My goal usually is to have the house decorated by Thanksgiving at the latest, gifts purchased by then as well as wrapped the first week of December.   Well.... the tree was decorated December 12th, the final gift was probably purchased on Amazon just a few days before Christmas and the final gifts wrapped Christmas Eve.  The girls were beginning to wonder if we were going to exchange gifts at all.  

Stockings were hung.... 

Christmas Morning before we did gifts. 

She was a little excited 

absolute favorite character! 

Swim parkas to stay warm during ht winter and also during meets!

So when you have been married 16 years you buy each other the same practical gift... new sheets! 

Gracie has been begging for a fish.  It was the top of her request list.  Maggie wanted to be the one to buy it for her.   and Gracie sure was surprised!!!  

We do have these sweet moments when I feel like we are doing something right and they do like AND love each other! 

Maggie has her pink monkey that she has had since she was a baby given to her by Aunt Tammy.   I saw this one and could not pass it up.  Its not intended to take the place, but it was super soft and a great addition to all her softies she loves.  

Daddy had been telling us for the past 2 years hew as going to buy us (the girls) 1,000 hair ties as we always seem to be loosing them, hunting for them and never have one when e need/ want one.   So they each got 500!!  

Best Daddy ever! 

Inspecting the fish.  She was very worried about 'Holly". 

 We surprised the girls with one last gift later that day once all the gifts were up, the tree was down and we were just enjoying being together.   In January we are going to take them to see the Broadway production, Lion King, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.   We will stay over night at a hotel and enjoy the get away together.  

The rest of the day we enjoyed just being together.  

and sleeping! 

A few days later we celebrated Christmas with Grammy and Papa in Tennessee.   This was the first year in their new home so close by (well really they are in Georgia, but so close to the TN state line). 

nothing better than Grammy back scratches! 

a special gift this year was all the grandkids got their special keepsake dominos and game pieces.   Grammy and Papa have taught us all to play and it is something we all enjoy.  The older cousins love to play and Gracie and Maggie are beginning to learn.   This will be such a special keepsake when they are older to play and remember such special family memories.