Our ‘normal’ is having all types of fun leading up to Christmas but this year we took it easy since the week before sweet Ivy came home with a fever from school and did not want to pass around the ickiness. We did manage to have a little bit of fun though the week leading up to Christmas.

Fun at Christmas Village in Huntsville, AL

One of the Claus’s reading stories to all the good little girls.
Of course Icy would not get close to her. Mommy was proud when she sat on the bench

The girls got to decorate cookies

Write letters to Santa to send to north pole

and mail their letters to the North Pole

Then the toys from the north pole and Santa came to visit a little bit

Family movie night at home. The girls love getting the blowup mattress out in the den for it

Sweet Mimi took all her girls for mani and pedicures before Christmas

Sweet Ivy preferred to play on the iPad so Mimi played with her while mommy got a pedicure

Christmas Eve, Lisa woke up with a horrible ear ache and ended up going to the ENT for a little relief; thankful they were open! Deedee and Grandpa met everyone else at our house to go to to Mimi’s for a family celebration. Lisa arrived shortly before Chris and the gang. There was lots of food, fun, and laughter for our Christmas celebration. Everyone played secret Santa and the kids got to open presents from their cousins.  That afternoon we went to the candle light service at Fullness Christian church before going to aunt Stacy’s to decorate cookies for Santa. Ivy had no interest in decorating cookies, intact she did not even go into the kitchen. Instead Ivy headed straight to the playroom for the time there. Leia, Sara and Katie did great jobs decorating their cookies though. Not long after we finished them we headed home to get ready for bed and put our milk and cookies out for Santa.

Family pictures before the festivities begin … a family tradition
      

 Lisa was not feeling that well so there’s only two pictures from our fun family celebration
 

Cookie decorating and Leia putting them out for Santa
  

The girls must have been good this year cause Santa came to visit when we woke on Christmas morning and left lots of fun surprises. Leia had asked for a bow and arrow, barbie furniture, and a surprise; Ivy had asked for princess Malucia doll, bow and arrow, and barbie furniture. Mommy and daddy went up and got them after they woke up but before their lights were green. The girls had fun opening their gifts and seeing all the surprises. They got everything they asked Santa for too plus more. The girls played with their barbie house and new toys a few minutes before we all headed to Mimi’s for Christmas brunch. Brunch had all the girls favorite breakfast goodies. After we stuffed ourselves the girls separated the presents and got busy opening before they started playing. We were blessed to spend the day with Deedee, Grandpa, Mimi, aunt Stacy, uncle Mark, Sara, and Katie. We got to FaceTime Adrian, Alicia, aunt Kelly, and uncle Diego mid afternoon who were spending Christmas in Spain. Later in the day Nana came over to have lunch/dinner with us before we headed home to put away the Christmas goodies. What a great Christmas Day filled with the best gift ever – time with those we love!

Before we started opening presents we focused on the real meaning of Christmas listening to daddy read us all the story of Jesus’s birth … Happy Birthday Jesus

Santa’s loot he left, he was nice and put the Barbie house in the playroom
 

 Girls were excited to see what Santa, daddy/mommy, and Deedee/Grandpa got them
   
one of mommy’s favorite tags

Christmas brunch at Mimi’s

Of course the girls were excited to see what else they got from Mimi and their cousins Sara and Katie

It took no time for them and uncle Mark to start playing

Family and food goes together like peanut butter and jelly 😉

The rest of the year the girls played with their new and old toys . They got to have a fun spend the night at Mimi’s.  One day mommy and uncle Mark met at McWane for the girls to have one last hoo-rah in the winter exhibit. We were both surprised the girls did not want to ride the hipline or train, or slide in the exhibit. They were happy playing in the kiddie land, bubbles, and looking at the marine life and just being together. Love having a few days off work and getting to have a little fun with our little princesses.

Girls enjoyed staying home just to play
    

Spend the night fun at Mimi’s. Ivy liked teaching Mimi about the iPad while Leia learned how to make banana nut bread

Fun at McWane