Our Christmas 2016

Our Christmas was pretty simple this year.  We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve together as a family as we prepared for the festivities the next day.  Daddy did a lot of cooking to get ready while Mommy tried to wrap presents while caring for a new baby and keeping an active toddler from undoing her work.  Ha!  Christmas morning brought all the joys of watching the boys rush out to see what Santa had left for them.  After a couple of hours of joyful fun and excitement, we prepared to host lunch for Eddie's mom, sister, and nephew Grady as well as my dad.  We enjoyed a feast of chicken pastry (that's what we call chicken and homemade noodles in the south), green bean casserole, corn on the cob, rolls, pecan and chocolate chip cookie pies, and some yummy sausage balls and candied pecans for appetizers.  After lunch, we opened more presents together.  It was a fun and tiring day so we were all ready for bed early that night.  Well, Mommy is always ready for bed early these days since she is up several times a night.  The next day, we hit the road for one more Christmas celebration with Daddy's family.

Stockings are hung, presents are wrapped, and there is only one more sleep until Christmas Day!

Celebrating Jesus's birthday is the main reason to celebrate!

The boys work together to make Jesus's birthday cake. 

Happy 2016th birthday, Jesus!  The boys wanted hot cocoa with marshmallows with their birthday cake. 

Santa came!  Evan's big gift was a Airsoft bb gun.  Brody's was an art easel.  Mattox's was a ball pit and his vacuum cleaner which was his favorite.  

He loves his vacuum cleaner!  I debated getting one of the cute ones that looks more like a real one, but I liked that this little Fisher Price one sings songs and lights up.  He likes it too.  

Some of Evan's and Brody's favorite gifts were wrapped. Brody finally got the Game of Life because he and Evan love playing it on the kindle. 

Brody also got a Lite Brite and some fun Melissa and Doug food sets.  Evan got two Lego sets to build the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben.  

Chef Brody loves his cookie and ice cream set.  I tried to get Mattox to open a present, but he just wanted his vacuum cleaner. 

He finally opened one and got this cute little play steering wheel.  I actually wanted this one for the car because he loves to pretend to drive.  When we go out to the garage to get in the car, I always have to fight to get him in the car because he wants to get in his little car and drive.  I am hopeful having a steering wheel in the big car will make it easier to get him in his seat. 

Big brothers all enjoyed Mattox's ball pit. 

Mommy just may have bought the lite brite for herself.  I loved my lite brite as a child.  I do agree...my boys rock! 

The boys are ready for their stockings. 

Artist Brody is already making masterpieces while Evan and Mattox check out their stockings. 

Mattox enjoyed his chocolate Santa. 

Stockings were filled with a new movie for each, some chocolates, and a few other small gifts.  Evan got some bb's for his gun and a Harry Potter coloring book, Brody got an art smock, dry erase markers and erasers for his easel, and Mattox got some new books. 

Grayson also got some treats in his stocking.  

Mommy and Daddy also put some treats in one another's stockings...new underwear and chocolate!

Some of our yummy feast cooking. 

The big boys enjoyed playing Evan's new Fantasy Monopoly game while eating some cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 

Opening more gifts with Grandma and Papa.  

Brody loved his new kitchen appliances from Aunt Naomi, and Mattox got another car steering wheel for in the house.  Baby Grayson got a new play mat set. 

Grandma and Papa both got some new sweaters. 

Baby Grayson just looked too cute for his first Christmas. 

He finally got to meet his Great-Grandpa, his only living great-grandparent now.  

Our family enjoyed another entertaining game of "Dirty Santa."  We love "stealing" one another's gifts. 

Aunt Dava, Uncle Matthew, and Aunt Homa led us all in some Christmas carols. 2017 will bring some special events to our family.  Hudson and Olivia will be getting married, Aaron and Christie will welcome a new baby boy, and cousin Andrew and his wife Ashley will be welcoming boy/girl twins.  

Cousin Marian, Grandma and Papa James watch the excitement while Kenny entertains his boys and Grady.  Cousin Kenny provided my comic relief for the day when he opened a gift that contained some lotions that were made from hemp.  It had a picture of a hemp plant on the bottles, and he was excited to receive his "marijuana" lotion.  Haha!