Christmas Day

Ben woke us up Christmas morning ready to go! I put him to bed in Christmas PJs, but before he got us up he changed into his signature look, shorts and a tshirt. He wants to wear shorts year-round. It's a constant battle with him to put pants on for school when it's cold.

Grammy and Grampy got them stuffed animals as part of their gift (along with a Lego set for Ben and a baby pram for Liv), and we got them the plasma cars. We didn't feel like wrapping any of it, so we just put the stuffed animals on the cars and called it a day. I figured it'd be fun for the kids to see a few presents unwrapped and calling their names. Ben was smitten.

First we opened stockings. Ben got them all down for us.

Ben was super excited and high energy, whereas at first Liv was more quiet and just taking it all in.

But it wasn't long before she picked up on the excitement and joined Ben in his enthusiasm.

Dee got a new toy and some treats, and was more excited than Ben and Liv put together.

The kids each got Grammy and Grampy a small gift (some candy). I want them to start learning that Christmas is also about giving, so we got the grandparents small presents and donated to Toys for Tots this year.

Ben also made us a 2016 calendar and an ornament, which were both super cute. He was very proud and excited to give them to us.

Then it was back to opening their gifts!

Santa, Mom and Dad, Grammy and Grampy, Grandpa and Grandma, and their cousins all spoiled the kids, so it was a very busy Christmas morning. Ben was so excited, he started tackle-hugging Mike after each gift he opened.

After the presents were all unwrapped, Livvie opened up her princess tiaras and handed them out to me and Mom, so we ate our annual breakfast burritos in style.

And did I mention that the plasma cars hold up to 220 lbs so the adults can get in on the action! I took Liv for a spin. I intended for these to be fun toys for the basement that I'm clearing out for the cold winter ahead. But Mike moved the hall rug and they are riding them around the house. I think Mike likes them better than the kids. Great purchase! If you are interested in buying one, keep an eye out for a sale on Amazon. I paid about $40/car.

That afternoon, we headed over to Nana and Papa's house to celebrate with the Tammaros. It is baby Theo's first Christmas, so that was exciting. He is very mellow and just took it all in. Liv is smitten with Theo, and most of the time he stared at her, not sure what to make of her.

Liv kept herself busy playing with coffee filters that Nana let her have while making coffee.

Per usual, skinny minnie ate very little but definitely enjoyed the jello!

Then we opened more gifts. Oh my. Theo really dug the tissue paper.

And that wrapped up Christmas 2015!

Christmas Eve

We did a lot of celebrating this Christmas, starting with Christmas Eve. 

But actually, it all started with Ben's holiday concert at Creative World on the 12th. Then I was one of the party mom's for Ben's Kindergarten holiday party. I made the kids goodie bags and put together a little craft--decorating foam trees and ornaments with stickers and buttons. The kids really enjoyed the craft, and at one point I heard Ben say to his friend "Alex, doesn't my mom Rock?" I better enjoy it now before I'm totally uncool and he's embarrassed to be seen with me. Ben came home and immediately hung his ornaments up on the tree with pride:

Front

Back

The party really got started when Mom and Bill arrived. We hung out, ran errands, went out to eat, and watched holiday movies.

On Christmas Eve, we had already made plans to attend the annual Jackson Christmas Eve party, so we headed off and Mom and Bill enjoyed the quiet. :-)

We headed to Cheryl's for dinner and gifts. The kids sat together, except Liv who preferred to eat downstairs with Hannah (Cheryl's stepdaugther who is 17 and great with the kiddos, bless her).

It's not really Christmas until you have an impromptu football game in the kitchen. (Note Ben's outfit. We picked out the holiday button down, and then he chose that t-shirt because it's green, so he had red and green to celebrate. Hmm, indeed.)

The kids were all excited to open gifts. Liv was very slow at this but really enjoyed it. She was often excited just to have the box.

Ben knew the drill though. He got several Lego sets, a remote control car, clothes, and more.

Liv got a Frozen dress up trunk with dresses, rings, and bracelets. She put a ring on each finger to show them off--that's a lot of bling.

She also loved this new baby who had her own binkie and baby carrier. Big hit.

And this Elsa doll, which she kept putting in a box, telling all of us to close our eyes, and then whipping off the lid yelling "tada" with such excitement. So cute. Like I said, she is still at an age where the boxes are as fun as the gifts inside.

The kids were both spoiled by all their generous relatives and had a great time.

Cheryl had cute props for the kids. Liv seemed a little confused as to what to do with them, but that didn't stop her from getting in on the action.

Snuggles with my love bug.

We stayed pretty late, and it is a 1.5 hour drive, so we got home pretty late. We put the kids in their PJs before we left, so we just had to carry them up to bed. Ben woke up when we got home and rallied long enough to help me set out the cookies and milk for Santa and the carrots for the reindeer. He also made Santa a "present" complete with tape to unwrap in order to see the picture he drew. So we put that out for him too, along with the snowflake that he cut and colored. Ben is REALLY into Christmas and Santa this year.

Once the kids were up in bed, I put out our gifts and we were ready to go. Bring on Christmas!