grandparents = F.U.N.

We spent Christmas Eve with Noonie & Papa J. We went to Mass, then dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, and finally home to open presents!

A rare picture with all of us in it! The little pumpkin was so tired I had to get the littles in the car as soon as dinner was served and drive around to let them get in a mini nap. Of course once we made it home she quickly proclaimed, "My tired went away. I'm ready to open presents!"

Hudson is pretty crazy about Papa J... Two peas in a pod =) So excited!!! Thank you Noonie & Papa J! And why are they clapping??? See for yourself! They're cheering on Daddy & Papa J! Yes, the little pumpkin insisted they set up her mini trampoline right away ;) Hudson's turn! Hooray for boy toys! The littles with Noonie & Papa J With my {once again} tired little pumpkin - Hudson was too busy checking out his new toys to sit with me. One final attempt at a group shot... Mimi & Pop, Lexi and Jade came over two days before Christmas and we all went to dinner and then opened gifts. It was Grace & Hudson's first time to open Christmas gifts this year so they were verrrrrrrry excited...much too excited for pictures. Yay! Ariel!Hudson with Aunt Lexi And with Cousin Jade Thank you Mimi & Pop for all the generous presents!

We saw everyone again Christmas afternoon at Aunt Marilyn & Mememaw's house. Hudson is pretty crazy about his blankie...and about Pop! He loves to ride on Pop's shoulders and get a good view. Sorry Pop I cut off your head on accident! :( The little pumpkin making her strongest case on why we should just skip dinner and go straight to opening presents. It was a wild zoo of kids and presents and wrapping paper and fun! I didn't get too many good pictures but we had a great time. Thank you Aunt Marilyn & Mememaw for EVERYTHING! There's nothing like spending time with family!

for Grace with love

Remember a while back when I posted about my favorite Christmas fabrics and then gave you a little sneak peek, HERE and HERE???

Well, Noonie made my vision come to life in this sweet dress top she made for Grace!As part of one of our swaps, my friend Amber made the fun & comfy pants. So sweet on Grace, I've nicknamed them her LaFfy TafFy pants! Thank you Amber! Always makes such a difference when she's wearing something she really likes! Thank you, Noonie! It turned out just perfect! And the best part...she can wear it again next year! Now...onto the Peeps inspired bunny shirts teasing me from the other room! Yes, I'm already working on Easter ;)

Christmas 2010...magical!

Be prepared: LOTS of pictures!!!
(don't say I didn't warn you!!)

Two days before Christmas the littles received a very important message...That's right, the jolly old fella sent Grace & Hudson their very own messages!Thank you Portable North Pole!! Grace talked about her message for DAYS! So cute! You should definitely check it out if you have little ones :) To get us started with the festivities, Christmas Eve breakfast included make-your-own Silly Santa Pancakes with Peppermint Whip Cream and strawberries...yum! Such a good little helper!
And not just because Super, the elf, was watching *wink* After spending a nice evening together, going to Mass, dinner, and opening presents with Noonie and Papa J (pics with all the grandparents in a separate post!), it was time to set out cookies for Santa and sprinkle reindeer food for Rudolph and the other reindeer! Christmas Eve Tradition... Sleepy heads... And then...Sometime in the middle of the night... Santa came and ate all the cOOkiEs, leaving behind sweet notes for the littles! And in the morning...Little children woke up excited... But not too sure about Santa drinking out of their favorite cup...Soon the excitement won over when they realized the snowy footprints led to... PrEsENts!!!
Mama...Santa even knows that Rudolph is my favorite reindeer, look!!! That Santa sure is sneaky! ...and he must have been at our house for a looooong time Christmas Eve. I think I first heard him around midnight and then again around 4am or so =) Sweet innocence... Fun stuff! They each received 3 gifts symbolizing the three gifts the Wise Men brought to Baby Jesus. They even held hands for a bit...Be still my heart! Santa's big gift to Hudson...a Little People Airport Playset! And for Grace....the {very} wished for Dora House! Oh, to freeze moments in time...if only they stayed little. My loves... Soon stocking stuffers brought out new favorites, like Thomas... And more pieces to the Dora house! Santa's elves were super good to mama too! Somehow they knew that mama had always wanted a charm bracelet...ever since she was a little girl. Here's to a morning filled with sweet {sneak-attack} thank you hugs... And fun times finding Super's final location for the year. But most importantly... a "brownie cake" to celebrate our True Reason for the Season! Hope your CHRISTmas was MaGicAL in every way! Happy Birthday
Baby Jesus!