Christmas Morning 2009

Christmas morning Ian and I woke up early with Gauge while the kids slept on.  We were up for about an hour before the kids wondering if this was normal for anyone else because we've never heard of parents waiting for kids to get up to start Christmas.  I got a picture of the Santa gifts.  Jade got a kitchen and Teagan got Rockband 2.

I got a picture of the tree before things got crazy.

Stockings are my favorite part.  Ian and I have done just a stocking for eachother for the past couple years.  This year we decided to forgo gifts at Christmas and get a new TV.  It was totally worth it.  Ian was laughing because when we got it all set up I said, "This is so much better than a sewing machine!"  I think sometimes he enjoys that I'm not a typical female. 

I had to put this one in.  Doesn't Gauge look like a little devil baby.  He is the opposite but the picture was too funny.

Happily waiting for brother and sister.

Too much eggnog?

Jade finally got up.  She headed staight for her kitchen.

She opening all the doors and played with the knobs while waiting for Teagan.

Teagan finally got up.

And he headed for Jade's kitchen walking right past his gift.

This was the look when we told him that the Rockband stuff was his.  At this point he didn't know that Mommy and Daddy got him Lego Rockband to go with it.

Jade trying out brother's gift.

Teagan got his Clone Wars game he wanted.

Daddy got his game.

Gauge upset he didn't get an Xbox game.  No just getting tired.

Cars in the stocking have become a tradition.  Teagan commented that there were less gifts than last year.  I actually kinda like that.  I don't want him getting the idea that the amount of gifts matter or that every Christmas will get bigger and better.

Paint, chalk, crayons and candy in Jade's stocking.  What else could she ask for?

Opening...

and opening.

Gauge got one gift.  One of those baby toys where you push a button or turn something and the little animals pop out.  For now Jade is very happy with it.

Jade trying on her princess stuff she got from Great-Grandma and Grandpa Fane.  You can see the contents of my stocking there.  Candy, gum, hair stuff, a book and the new Michael Buble CD.  Daddy...I mean, Santa did well.

Jade had to get her heels on to do the dishes.

Thank you Great-Grandma Pratt for The Christmas Sweater book.  We have heard a lot of good things about it.

We don't usually eat Christmas morning because we have Christmas breakfast with my family.  Jade felt we had obiviously missed breakfast.  She came in with a half a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread that she had been gnawing on for a while without us noticing.  It was a good Christmas.  Thank you everyone for thinking of us.  Someday I will get better about thank you notes.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve PJs

At first when Teagan was old enough to understand what was going on at Christmas he was totally excited he got to open a gift on Christmas Eve.  Now he has figured out that it is going to be pajamas and most of the excitement is gone.  Although he likes getting new pjs so there is still that. 

Jade didn't want to put hers on but she enjoyed playing with the packaging.

I posted all these pics because I love how the kids personalities show through.  They remind me of those flip books you make when you are a kid.

Jade decided to finally put her pjs on.  Then we got cookies and milk ready for Santa.  Teagan put out his Santa gingerbread man.  He thought it was just hilarious that Santa would be eating Santa.  Then the kids when to bed.

Candy Houses

I can't really call these Gingerbread Houses.  So I'm going to call them candy houses.  I have been doing them with Teagan since before Jade was born.  We usually do them with friends but just ran out of time this year.  We finally got around to doing them on Christmas eve.  He had fun.

The candy.  My kids are pretty good about not eating more candy than they put on their house.  I had so much leftover.  It was crazy.

Left to right is Daddy's house, mine and then Teagan's.  I should have gotten some better pictures of Teagan's house.  He added extra rooms this year and made a flat roof.  He got really creative with it. 

Here is Jade's.  She was happy with just putting a little frosting and candy on the graham cracker.  In the days after Christmas she ate our houses when we weren't looking.  :)

Westward Look Resort 2009

We went to the Westward Look Resort in Tucson again this year for Ian's business Christmas party.  Guess who came with us.  This is usually a really nice get away for Ian and I but I just couldn't leave my baby.  We still had a blast.  Ian had meetings during the day and there was a dinner and dance the last night.  Guage and I pretty much stayed in the room and relaxed.  We did a little shopping.  The night of the dance we turned in early because the band was so loud it was hurting my ears so I could only imagine how poor little Gauge was feeling.  Ian and I still got our evenings alone after Gauge went to bed.  We usually have a pretty cute picture of the two of us every year.  Here was our attempt at one below.  You can pick your favorite.

Gingerbread Men 2009

I love our little Christmas traditions.  This is one of them.  I have kind of a different  recipe for gingerbread cookies that the kids like a lot.  When I was getting the icing ready I made a tube of it for Ian.  He hadn't planned on doing them with us and then he got really into it.  I'll explain a bit later.

Jade decorating her cookie.  This is just the beginning.  Trust me!

Teagan was so excited to do the cookies this year.

Ian was not as excited and even less excited that I was taking his picture when he had hat head.

See and she isn't done yet.

Still not done.

Here are Ian's cookies.  Going left to right the first is in his underwear.  The second is a guy with a big nose and the third is the HULK comple with muscles and frayed pants.  Yeah he kinda got into it.

Okay left to right and top to bottom.  First you see the Hulk.  Next is my teddy bear cookie.  I thought the kids would get a kick out of that.  Next is my traditional gingerbread man.  After that is a guy I made with a sweater and shoes.  Second row starting on the left is Ian's big nose guy.  The next two are guys that Teagan made up.  That is what he calls them.  They don't have a name.  The next one is Teagan's Santa Claus.  On the last row starting on the left is Ian's gingerbread man that is in his underwear and last but not least is Jade's cookie.  She worked on it the whole time.  The picture does not do justice to the layers of candy and frosting. 

Night Little Ones -Wordless