New Year's

For New Year's this year we invited the Joyce's over for some good food and good fun. Jeffrey and I wore opposing team shirts...totally unplanned but pretty funny.

The guys did an outstanding job making us steaks and picking out some great sides! Really, the steak was awesome. And the La Madeline dessert selection wasn't too shabby either.

While the kids played, the parents played Battle of the Sexes. Pretty fun game. We learned a lot about men and women!

Yep, this is how we do smores in the ghetto. Actually we just didn't think ahead and build a fire so it was much faster to grill them!

Mmmm still tasty!

Or you could just eat the chocolate.

Christmas!

We had another great Christmas this year. One of my friends from work switched a day with me so I didn't have to work Friday night before Christmas Eve. We spent all day at my parent's house with all of our extended family. Then as I was going to get ready for work I got a suprise Christmas present...work called and said they weren't busy and I could have the night off!! Of course I said yes so I was able to spend the night at my parent's with Mondo and the kids and all wake up together on Christmas morning. On Christmas Day we celebrated with Mondo's family and also celebrated his younger brother Abel's birthday! What a busy weekend!

Part of the snack spread. I'm usually full by lunch time and don't have room for turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.

Caleb was really into serving everyone this year. He made sure everyone had a glass...that he filled.

Caleb's plate. Out of all of that delicious food this is what he wanted.

Part of our large group. I think we had almost 40 people!

Ethan chatting with his cousin Lila.

Present time!

The one...the only...Santa Land!!

My niece Morgan played us some Christmas songs on her cello. She was great!

Ethan wearing his blanket Nana made for him.

Caleb got a Spongebob Snuggie!

How many licks does it take.....

He was being a reindeer.

Playing Spiderman with Papa.

Sprinkling reindeer food.

One last hug for Ho-Ho.

The kids said Santa wanted chocolate milk this year.

Nana read "Twas the Night Before Chrismas" before bed. I think this should be a new tradition.

Santa presents.

He got a shark and a crocodile! But perhaps not exactly the ones he wanted....

Reading with his Tag Reader.

All decorated for Christmas breakfast. Yummy!

Chugging his morning cup of coffee (hot chocolate).

Yep. He's eating spaghetti...for breakfast. Just like his Aunt Ree.

Another Christmas tradition...trying to wake up cousin Blaine.

Playing with his golf clubs from Santa. Watch out Tiger Woods!

Listening to his new iPod.

Christmas dinner at MoMo's. My mouth is salivating right now! Yummo!

Silly MoMo and PaPa John.

I was shocked when Caleb wanted his picture taken with everyone. Here he is with Uncle Abel.

MoMo.

Cousin Priscilla.

Aunt Tina.

Uncle Juan.

After some festivities at MoMo's house we decided to move the party to our house so the kids could run around and play. And we celebrated Uncle Abel's birthday!

The adults played poker and Tomo Todo and the kids had a dance party. They stayed up till almost midnight!

Caleb wouldn't let Uncle Juan go to sleep.

Bass Pro/Gaylord

We usually do all of our Christmas festivities way before Christmas. However, as you know we were totally consumed with Disney World and illness before Christmas so we ended up doing our festivities a day or two before. We went to Bass Pro to see Santa and thought there wouldn't be much of a line...were we wrong. We got there at 4:30 and received a card to return at 6:30! So we hung around Bass Pro for a while then decided to hop on over to Gaylord for some photo ops. We also had dinner at a Pizza place that was fabulous and kid friendly! When we returned to Bass Pro we were able to walk past everyone in line and go straight to Santa. It was worth the extra excursion!

This is the chair where we got our Christmas card photo from for the last 2 years. This year our card was all Disney.

They posed themselves.

They were super excited to see that the theme for Ice was Kung Fu Panda! We didn't actually go inside the Ice display but they enjoyed seeing all of the stuff outside.

The kids love going to Bass Pro or "the fish store" as they call it. They like climbing all over everything. I see some of these items in my future...yikes.

Eek! Scary!

Finally. We meet Santa. He was looking at the Bass Pro camera and the kids were looking at mine.

At least Caleb was excited this year. He hopped right up in his lap. He asked for a real crocodile and a real shark. Ethan asked for an X-box 360. Poor kids...Santa didn't deliver this year.

That's his mean face shooting a gun.

He looks a little meaner.

**I'm glad we made it to these two places. We didn't make it to Prairie Lights this year. Next year we'll be all about Christmas!**