At our house, the fun was only beginning on Christmas Day. We are enjoying the Christmas season all the way through this Saturday (January 3rd). Here are some of the highlights.

On the 26th, we went to Grandma and Papa Don's (my husband's parents) to celebrate with them and my sister-in-law's family. We ate a delicious brunch, and my kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. This is the annual Christmas photo on Grandma's couch.

We exchanged gifts, and there were a few surprises. We encouraged my Favorite Boy to ask for last year's versions of Xbox 360 games because they are so much cheaper. Grandma, however, was willing to go to Walmart at 5AM the day after Thanksgiving, so she surprised her grandson with Madden 09, which she purchased at half-price. He rarely shows his excitement, but it peeked through a little.

Grandma scored another deal and made her granddaughter happy with this Minnie costume. For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, I am sure you aren't surprised to see my daughter enjoying another costume.

We had a few surprises up our sleeves as well. My husband and his sister conspired to get Grandma and Papa Don a new computer. We hope to have them connected to the internet soon!

On the 27th, we visited my aunt's house. My parents were there, and my brother and his family were able to come as well. We hadn't seen them since June, so we were so happy to see my niece and nephew. My nephew enjoyed my Oreo Delight dessert, and my niece loved laughing at her cousin (my Favorite Boy).

Another costume? Yes, my aunt earned this big hug with a new Sleeping Beauty costume.

We tried to take a picture of my parents, their kids, spouses and grandchildren. This was not an easy task.

We are having a wonderful week. More to come!

There have been several cute conversations at our house this week, but I wanted to share a couple of my Best Girl's comments. Because she helped me wrap presents, she knows what we are giving most of our family members. She has done well keeping the gifts a secret, but it has been very tough. This is the conversation we had about Grammy's gift (Grammy was in the room).

BG: Grammy really likes to read, right?

Me: Yes.

BG: Just like Belle.

Me: Yes, just like Belle.

BG: But we're not supposed to tell her what her present is, right?

I am sure Grammy will be shocked when she opens a box full of books tomorrow. :)


On Sunday, my Best Girl and Grammy were eating lunch together. They had a cute conversation.

BG: Grammy, can I marry Papa?

Grammy: Well, I already married Papa.

BG: Okay. Well, whoever finishes their lunch first gets to marry Papa.

I don't remember who finished first, but I thought it was hilarious that my Best Girl was challenging Grammy. They are both pretty slow eaters, so it was an interesting choice for a competition!

Edited to Add:

It's Tuesday morning, and Grammy is getting stockings ready for all of us. This is the conversation my Best Girl just had with her daddy.

BG: Dad, I am not going to tell you what's in your stocking, but there is a treat in there. But, I am not going to tell you.

Dad: Okay.

BG: Do we have any Whoppers? I mean, I'm not telling you what's in your stocking, but do we have any?

She just can't stand the suspense! :)

We are having a wonderful Christmas. Since the 25th, we have had festivities of some kind every day, and we aren't even finished! Tomorrow, we will celebrate with my parents and my brother's family.

On Christmas Eve, we set out cookies, but we deviated from our usual chocolate chip. I saw these cookies in Family Fun magazine; I am sure Rudolph appreciated them.

On Christmas morning, we did our stockings first. I took a picture of the kids with their favorite stocking stuffer. My Favorite Boy tried to fit several things in the picture, but he was most excited about his pedometer (that's what he is holding between his fingers). He has been asking for a pedometer for a while, and he has worn it every day since Christmas. My Best Girl appreciated her Reese's cups. She is a girl after my own heart.

After the stockings, we headed upstairs to the bonus room to discover what Santa left. The race up the stairs was filled with anticipation.

My Best Girl was thrilled to find a princess bike and a dollhouse.

My Favorite Boy loves his new Chris Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson jerseys (they are NFL players), but the new Xbox game won top honors. I think you can tell by his face that he enjoys playing games on his Xbox.

On Christmas Day night, my husband's family came for dinner. There were between 30-40 people here, and we had a wonderful time. These are the great-grandkids.


Our Christmas Day was filled with family and fun. I hope yours was as well!