Merry Christmas, Everyone!

For me, Christmas morning started at 2:00 am.  John woke up, fussing, and ready to see what Santa brought him.  I had to bribe him with some milk to get him back to sleep!  Daniel was next at 5:40 am.  We kept him quiet until a little after 6:00 at which time Philip woke up.  We finally gave in to their repeated requests to go downstairs around 6:30.  John woke up amongst all the noise, but we had to wake up William and Dee!
Downstairs we went to see what Santa brought. 

The big boys got the Nerf guns they asked for...

Don't worry...everyone got shooting glasses...Santa says, "Safety first!"

and William was thrilled to see his grill!

We opened presents...

and then played!

Legos are always a hit!!

 GranGran and PopPop joined us for brunch...

and Uncle Cameron, Aunt Heather, and the Hamms came by in the afternoon for a visit.

The weather was less than desirable.  It was warm and rainy.  Chris did keep a fire going all day despite the temps being in the upper 50s/lower 60s!  We spent the afternoon by the fire...playing Legos, grilling hot dogs, and making waffles out of play-doh.  JohnJohn even snuggled up with Roxy in his new Crimson Tide jersey...thanks Susan and Rob!

We may have even snuck in a nap or two!

When the weather broke, we headed outside to shoot some hoops!

It was such a good day...wonderful memories being made.  Philip and Daniel are certainly at a magical age.  They loved what they got and never mentioned not getting something.  The day was a little overstimulating for William, but after a good nap he seemed to feel much better.  Being with our families was such a gift!

How Silently...how silently

Christmas Eve began, as usual, in the kitchen.  Daddy cooked a big breakfast of biscuits, eggs, grits, and bacon.  After we ate, the boys played outside and I began my time in the kitchen.  I made a Red Velvet Bundt Cake for the night and then the boys came in to finish cookies for Santa!

The afternoon came quick and it was time to dress and head out to Cameron and Heather's for lunch/dinner!  Their house looked absolutely beautiful...no detail left undone...including coloring sheets for the boys!  It was fun to share the evening with Heather's parents, too.

We visited and then ate a fabulous meal including a turkey smoked by Cameron...without a doubt the best turkey I've eaten.  The boys love Cameron's porch with a TV!

We visited some more before dressing yet again to go to church. 

Church was nice...long for little, wiggly boys...but we made it!  After church, it was back to our house for dessert.  The boys were pretty excited...especially Daniel...which I think is obvious from the pictures...

Off to bed for little boys.  Back to the kitchen for Mom to make Christmas day brunch.  Chris and I visited with Dee a little bit and then hit the sheets ourselves.  Finally the house was quiet and I was reminded of my favorite Christmas carol....O Little Town of Bethlehem...last verse...

How silently, how silently

thy wondrous gift is given.

So God imparts to human hearts

the blessing of His heaven.

No ear may hear its whisper

yet in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive him still

the dear Christ enters in.

And so my thoughts are on this wondrous gift...this gift of light...this gift of salvation.  A blessing indeed.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Some friends invited us over yesterday for a Happy Birthday, Jesus party/playdate.  The girls mom and I decided that it was somewhat of a ploy to have birthday cake at the playdate, but it worked!  We had a blast.

William loves the Weekley's kitchen...

and the older boys loved their Scooby Doo toys...

We sang "Away in a Manger" instead of Happy Birthday...

and then enjoyed cake.

It was a fun day.  Can't say it enough...we will so miss these two little girls and their parents this spring!

Look what I can do...

I can sit up...

and army crawl.  (Sorry the footage isn't better...he didn't like performing for the camera...he can actually go a lot farther!) 

I've even begun to cut my first tooth...something my brothers didn't do until 11 months. 

Oh Big Boy...could you slow things down please??  Didn't you get the memo that you are supposed to be my baby for a long time??

Joyful Night

Tonight was Trinity's annual Joyful Night...our Christmas pageant and dinner.  I took Philip and Daniel and Chris stayed home with William and John...both of whom were fighting ear infections and fevers earlier in the week.

It's always a good time to visit with friends.  Boy are we going to miss these sweet girls when they move this spring.

If you remember from here and here, Daniel is not much of a performer when it comes to this annual event.  Philip was ready to go though!

GranGran, PopPop, Susan and Rob, and Elizabeth and John all came to watch the performance.  We had a great potluck dinner afterwards...complete with green cupcakes!  Philip said that Daniel looks just like Kermit the Frog! 

We certainly missed Daddy and the little guys, but unfortunately that's the way it goes around here sometimes!  Now we are out of school and ready for vacation time to begin!

Thanks to the Grandmothers!

A benefit of living in Mobile is having two grandmothers on call to babysit!  This week they were in high demand.  I had two Christmas parties for Philip and one for Daniel.  Both GranGran and Dee helped out!  It is always nice to be able to attend the boys parties solo!

First, I did Daniel's Christmas party with William and John...

That afternoon, I headed to St. Paul's for Philip's ornament party...

Of course there were cookies and hot chocolate involved, too...

Then Friday brought Philip's Christmas party.  A few more shots...

William's party is on Monday, but he's been pretty sick these past few days.  I'm not sure whether he'll make it or not!  Boy am I glad that we are out of school for a few weeks!!