Christmas joy 2013.

Christmas this year was lovely. It came extremely fast! I must be getting old; time is going faster every year. ;) I felt like Christmas blew through my life like a tornado and now I'm watching it fade into the distance, amazed at how such a big part of the year can hit you, then be gone a moment later. Now I am enjoying the aftermath. I loved looking through these photos and seeing the evidence of a memorable Christmas. We all got more than we could ask for and I am so grateful. I feel so blessed and hope you all had a lovely Christmas as well.

Dec. 20-21st.
The first part of our holiday was up north with my dad's side of the family. It was so great seeing everyone and catching up!

opening gifts at grandpa and grandma's house.

so excited!

kitty likes gift opening as well.

Emmett and my dad were wearing the same outfit: Wild shirts and camo pants. (Emmett is not picking his nose!)

opening more gifts with the whole family.

Emmett's face kills me. He made this expression in every family photo.

with my aunt, Kelly.

Emmett was so tired by evening; he literally passed out in my arms and slept through an outfit change. He was done.

Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve, Matt's family came to our place for brunch. It was really yummy and nice. We exchanged gifts, played with new toys, and watched a couple of movies. I didn't get as many photos of this day as I wanted to. It was busy. The kids' expressions while opening their presents is priceless. Ethnie was such a big help Emmett. She helped him find his gifts, cut the ribbon for him, and helped him rip the paper. Love these moments!

my favorite photo of the entire year.

 we got Emmett one of his favorite books. now he doesn't have to check it out every time we go to the library. :) if you're looking for a new children's book, this is a good one.

Emmett also asked for a new green truck. He loves the one we got him!

Since summer Ethnie has been asking for an American Girl doll for Christmas. Honestly, I was hoping the wish would fade (this stuff is sooo expensive), but it only got stronger as the months passed. Well, she most definitely proved to us that she deserved one; she has been a very good girl this year. And I remember when I was younger there were years when I wanted a bigger-ticket item than other years. I'm sure Emmett will have a wish like Ethnie's soon enough.

so we got her what she wanted.

deep down, I think I bought her the doll just so I could capture her face when she opened it!

so happy. she named her Scout.

pie after bunch.

my bud.

he tries to hide from me when I take his picture.

love the truck face. this is his gift from papa and grandma!

passed out in papa's arms. he had a lot of fun.

 
Christmas day.
After the kids opened their gifts from Santa (more trucks and doll accessories), we went back up north to spend the day at my mom's house. We had a great time and the weather was a bit warmer. We took advantage of it and went sledding down the driveway for awhile. Ethnie loved it. Emmett hated it. We are still trying to break him of being scared of just about everything. ;)

 

 

sweet girl. her gloves are a bit big on her.

yep. Emmett cried the second he touched snow.

 

first time going down on her belly!

a John Deere tractor of his own.

new chapter books.

American Girl craft.

Christmas was wonderful! Now it's time to take a breath, celebrate Ethnie's birthday, take another breath, celebrate the new year, take another breath, and celebrate our anniversary! We are bombarded this time of year!!