Christmas

Ok....here goes a REALLY long post!  

Dec 23 - All was going great!  

Presents were purchased and wrapped.  Lawson wanted to get a jump start on making cookies for Santa...rather than trying to squeeze that in on Christmas Day.  Great idea, Lawson. 

She got this cute little cookie cutter and Santa Cookie plate from the Build a Bear store last year that she was dying to put to use!

Mission accomplished!  (Side Note:  She was Determined - note the capital "D"- to roll out chocolate chip cookie dough for these cookies.  She has no use for sugar cookie dough. She is not a fan.  I told her it wouldn't be easy and that it wouldn't matter because Santa was the one eating the cookies. She insisted. I said ok.  By the end, she said "Maybe next year we should use sugar cookie dough!" Live and learn sweet girl!

So, we went to bed all set for Chrimstas Eve....a day filled with family, fun and celebrating Jesus.

Dec 24....Slight change of plans....

Lawson woke up with 101 fever and a soar throat at 6am.  I took her to the first clinic I could find that was open on Christmas Eve.  We were there at 9am.  They tested her for flu...which came back negative.  Dr said it didn't look like strep.  Probably just a winter cold with drainage irritating her throat.  But, thought we should keep her home just to be safe.  

Not what the kids wanted to hear!   The kids were disapointed that all our plans were off.  So, we spent our first Christmas Eve at home....all day! I couldn't take them being sad.  So, I quickly rounded up some projects!

We decorated Gingerbread houses!  We have done this every year for probably the last 5 years.  It's always really fun.  I purchased these kits back in Nov so we would have plenty of time.  And we had never gotten to them!  Perfect for today!

Lawson tackled her Gingerbread house 100% by herself this year!  She read the instructions and built it from the ground up! I was impressed.  

Hudson wanted me to assemble his and then he was going to take over decorating it.  But, he got busy with some other projects! And decided he preferred his undecorated so he said!

He spent a good deal of the day watching you tube videos on how to catch Santa "in the act." And created this "Santa Hunter" costume for hiself!

Yes, that is a felt strip custom bullet holder on his shirt! Things you never see yourself doing on Christmas Eve.  I had no idea!

This is the "Santa Hunter" logo he created.

This is a diagram of our house floor plan.  He used it to devise his strategy on how to sneak up on Santa! This kept him busy for about 2 hours!

We open our Christmas presets within our immediate family on Chrismtas Eve every year.  La was feeling up to it...so that kept us busy for awhile!

Love this one!  Suprised La with a cheer top she had been wanting!

The kids had suprise gifts for us that we knew nothing about!

We got Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls!  Rob and I both had the dolls and kids and both of ours met their demise early in life.  I left mine outside on the swingset and it was carried off by a wild dog.  Just a few red hairs left behind.  A bit traumatic for a child!  So, this was a really thoughtful gift.  Lawson asked me..."Do you think yall will sleep with them?"  That visual is so funny!

Outside playing with some new toys.  This is Juggle Bubble! Hudson is a sucker for every "As Seen on TV Toy!"

Rob left to go to lead at the Christmas Eve Service.  So, I got out some supplies, turned on some Christmas music and the kids made felt Christmas ornaments for their trees.  Lawson has been wanting to learn how to sew. This was fun!

Rob came home and it was time to get ready for Santa and his crew!

Santa letters.  Check.

Cookies for Santa.  Check.

Comb.  Check. ????

Hudson read online that if you leave out a comb Santa will comb his beard and you might find white hairs left in it.  And sure enough he must have used it...the kids found some hairs the next am.  (Ask Natalie about this later....pretty funny!)

Then hop in bed.  Hudson was determined he was going to catch Santa.  He fell asleep in his "Santa Hunter" suit watching Santa's progress on his Santa App on his itouch.  He slept like this all night!  That boy! He was so mad the next morning...when he realized he had fallen asleep!

Dec 25...Santa did not disappoint!

The kids texted us at 7am from their rooms telling us to meet them in the living room!

Lawson got her very own iPad Mini!

Hudson got electric drums!

After checking out all their goods, they went to make sure the reindeer found their food.

They found a footprint that Santa left behind in the fireplace ashes.

Hudson got football goal posts too!

Nonie and Poppa came over for Christmas brunch.

We were able to spend some time with them exchanging gifts....since we had missed out on Christmas Eve.

Rob and I got the biggest presents!  Which really irritated the kids! Ha!

Awe...back porch TV watchin recliners! Hooked up!

It was a gorgeous....sunny, crisp, cool, Christmas Day.  The kids headed outside to try out their new pogo sticks!

And Rob tried out his new chair!

We packed up and headed to Texarkana for more Christmas!

All the Gibbs crew minus Val and Brady.  They were with her sister in North Carolina this year. (And they may be every Christmas from here on out...we have been told! Ha!)

Wow!  That pic represents HOURS of work! 

Funny faces on the iPad!

Mom did a great job on the Baby Jesus Birthday Cake

Christmas Dinner with Gibbs grandkids.  They have taken over the table!

Uncle Landry read the Christmas story and the kids all placed their characters in the nativity on cue.

Then we sang Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus.  And all the kids blew out the candle...and spit on the cake a bit!  (Note:  My two kids had been sick before we came.  All of Steph's kids had been sick before they came.  And one of Ashley's had tested positive for the flu 2 days before.  So, eating the cake was a bit chancy!  Landry referred to it as the "Flu Cake".)

We took turns opening gifts...kids are finally all old enough to do that now...which is nice.  Really get to see what everyone receives and enjoy the moment!

After presents was a kid round of the game Gestures!  Ashley worked hard to try to explain the rules and coordinate the game with kids ranging in age from 4-10! They were all really into it!  

What a wonderful full day celebrating the birth of our Savior and enjoying family!

The next day we took the kids to see the new Annie!  Oh what fun that was....for ME!  I loved it!  I love a feel good, happy ending story with excellent music!

(As I was about to snap this pic, Hudson sneezed!  And I capture it perfectly! Ha!)

The next day we celebrated Reese's 8th Birthday cousin style! Happy Birthday Reese!

After the party, we all headed home.  We had the best 2nd week of Christmas break maybe ever!  We slept in, enjoyed fires in our fireplace, Rob and I worked on projects around the house, and the kids played and played and played! So nice! 

Barbies in the swingset fort! 

Grilling hot dogs for lunch! 

Watching Rob jump on the stomp rocket! 

Lawson made these fun cupcakes one afternoon.

And she went to a New Year's sleepover at a friends house.  This was some game where you had to put on what you grab out of a bag!  Pretty funny!  Lawson is wearing her friends dad's shorts!  They look like PJ pants on her!

Rainbow Loom Stand one afternoon.  It was FREEZING this day! 

So, the boys and girls would take turns manning the stand and warming up by the fire making the bracelets for the stand.  They had Rob set a timer for shift changes!  Kept them busy for hours! 

Blessed for sure.