Merry Merry Christmas!

Rob and I could hear the pitter patter of little feet a little bit before 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. I'm not sure who was up first, but that person quickly went and rallied the troops and they were admiring their haul from afar while trying to figure out what could be in all of those packages. We could hear their discussions and it was funny!

They ran in to get us up right at 7:00 and we came out to let the festivities begin.


A main part of ALL of our Christmas this year was a surprise ROAD TRIP to San Antonio right after Christmas to watch the Baylor Bears play in the Alamo Bowl. I am not sure if this gift was more for the kids or their daddy, but everyone was excited nonetheless! They even all got a Baylor Bear pillow pet to mark the occasion (because seriously - we really needed 4 more of those things).

Mia was thrilled to get Kit, the American Girl doll, and yet another fur real cat. Maybe she thinks that if we have enough fake ones then she can sneak in a real one someday and no one will notice?

Oh, the tides are turnin'. Yes, all three girls got American Girl dolls, but they also got a set of Justin Bieber perfume and lotions (along with a singing Justin Bieber toothbrush). Santa must have known how much they really LOVE J.B. . . or else he had a REALLY GOOD coupon for that perfume/lotion set!

Will made quite a haul including his Beyblade set and a Cowboy football helmet and uniform. Rob was very proud of all of these manly toys. Disregard the Fijit friend box that is also clearly visible in the picture. All 4 of them wanted one and we didn't realize until after the fact that they are all girls. The one he got is BLUE and it's name is LOGAN. Honest mistake. And he doesn't know any different PLUS the boy toys even everything out.

You know you are old when your main and favorite gift is a super duper paper shredder.

We had a fun trip to Cabo planned with some friends coming up so Rob decided that would be my gift. He filled up a box with sand and some pictures so we could start dreaming about the beach!

I see a recurring theme here of little white fake pets. Do you think they are trying to tell us something?

The kids played with their toys a little and then we had to pack up and head out to Garland by 9:30 a.m. I'm not sure how many years Mimi & Gongi have been hosting this Christmas morning breakfast, but I think it is over 40. Now THAT is a tradition! The kids were so excited to see their cousins and compare notes about what everyone got that morning.

Joel and Ally's Kanani doll had a lovely conversation. Dolls were always his favorite toy growing up. . .at least that's the way I remember it :)

All of the neighborhood kids play with Nerf guns every afternoon so Ally, Maddie and Will were THRILLED to get their very own so they can join in the fun. Jeremy showed Ally how to put it together and Owen & Noah were lined up ready to show her how to use it.

Clayton got a cool new camera and enjoyed taking pictures of the action.

Thank you, Mimi & Gongi, for hosting this crazy bunch and for going out of your way to pick gifts that each of the kids loved so much! They always have such a good time at your house.

After breakfast, we all head around the corner to my parent's house for lunch and to continue the family craziness! I feel bad because this same thing happens every year. . .I start off taking a million pictures on the morning of Christmas Eve and then the chaos starts to take over and I pick up my camera less and less to the point of by noon on Christmas Day I am lucky if I come away with 10 pictures. This doesn't mean that Christmas Day is any less fun or that we love my side of the family any less. . .it just always seems to work out this way.

We had so much fun visiting with everyone. Who would have ever thought when we were growing up and having our family of 5 in this room that one day it would be overrun with 10 grandchildren!

We try to have the tradition that all 10 kids go around in order from youngest to oldest and open one gift at a time so everyone can see and we can prolong the process as long as possible. That is easier said than done when the oldest cousins are 8 and the youngest is 18 months! It usually ends in a free for all with each parent just trying to see what their kid opened and figure out who it came from so they can thank them.

The girls were thrilled with their new makeup kits. And now you will understand what I am dealing with when you see them out in public with light blue eye shadow and electric pink cheeks.

Maddie loved her Harry Potter lego set. The girls also got an Easybake oven which they could not wait to get home and try out! We finally headed back to Frisco around 4:00 p.m. so we could wind down and play with toys and get to bed at a decent time.

Will couldn't resist putting on his new football helmet on and taking a run at his tackle buddy. This is going to turn out one of two ways. . . he is either going to become a really good football player or he is going to start tackling his sisters and hurt someone. Anyone want to place bets?

The mess in our living room at the end of another long day. We had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by so many family members and friends and we are truly blessed!