Monday, December 29, 2014

Christmas (December 25-26)

Santa came!


He brought Jake a trip to Disney World, Transformer Optimus Prime &
a Star Wars Space Ship

He brought Hollon a soothe & surprise light, lights & music toy
and food storage containers
Jake checking out his toys. We try not to go overboard with toys (Santa only brings 3) and try to keep Santa as just a secondary figure of Christmas. So Jake never gets screaming crazy on Christmas morning.  

Hollon was overly impressed with her food storage containers
My 2 most precious gifts


Checking out what was in his stocking


Our Christmas gifts from Jake. This is one of my favorite memories of Christmas 2014. Jake bought us all gifts at his Santa's Shop at school. He got Robbie some playing cards that have fake money on the backside (Jake thought he bought dad money). Jake got me a makeup bag & a hot pink ice scoop (he thinks it's a shovel for the beach). But the funniest was what he got Hollon. He got her a winnie the pooh nightlight and a hat with a flower on it. He was so proud of that hat and Hollon wore it with pride.

Our little 80 year old woman

Nana reading to Jake some of the books Hollon got for him

Christmas is exhausting

Hollon helping daddy put together one of Jake's transformers


My parents left after breakfast and then Chuck & Judy came over to see what the kids got and to spend the rest of the day with us.
Opening a gift from Mimi & Granddad

Hollon liked the tissue
Hollon got a Madame Alexander baby doll


She actually played with it and seemed to like it
(Up until this point, she has been pretty uninterested in toys)
Eating Giving the baby kisses

Trying to breastfeed Hugging the baby


A riveting game of Connect 4 with Mimi & Granddad

Jake got a remote control car that drives on the wall


And we ended the day sitting by the fire watching Christmas movies
The day after Christmas we had fun playing with our stuff we had received


Jake got some Auburn lounge pants and his Elf left him some slippers before he returned to the North Pole (Jake has been wanting slippers for a while now). He looked like my little old man.



Christmas Eve (December 24)

Robbie let Jake come to work with him as a birthday treat.


Hanging out under dad's desk playing with his computer
Once dad & brother got home, we got ready to celebrate Jake's birthday. (Recapped in separate post)
Happy Birthday Brother!
Nana, Gran, Mimi, Granddad, Aunt Andrea, Uncle Johnathan & cousin Jackson all attended.
Gran making Hollon laugh
Hanging out with Aunt Andrea

After celebrating Jake, we all got ready and went to Christmas Eve service.
Our family of 4
When we took our family picture last year on Christmas Eve, we knew we were pregnant, but we were only a few weeks along. Because we had been pregnant & miscarried the previous 2 Christmases, I refused to get my hopes up. But this pregnancy took & gave us our sweet Hollon. And then 6 years ago on Christmas Eve (I wish I had a picture!) we went to Christmas Eve service, only to unexpectedly have precious Jake a few hours later. So Christmas Eve services bring me so many emotions.

After Christmas Eve service, Andrea & family headed back to Chattanooga & everyone else came back to our house for dinner.
I was so excited to have my mom & dad spend the night with us

Nana & Hollon
Several rounds of hungry hungry hippos (one of Jake's birthday presents) were played
(Seeing this picture makes me realize I didn't take pictures of the transformer birthday decorations that our Elf put up.)

Mimi made Hollon's smocked Christmas bubble
Mimi & Hollon
Mimi has made several of my kid's Christmas outfits

More Hungry Hungry Hippo playing
Nana with Hollon in her Christmas pajamas, which happened to be the same pajamas I wore for my first Christmas.


We sent Hollon to bed and then Jake & I made cookies for Santa

Ready for Santa to come!

We left him cookies & milk
Our Past Christmas Family Photos: