Merry Christmas

Well, I realize that we are now into January, well after the Christmas festivities, but it has been a whirlwind with no time to post so I figure better late than never. We had a fantastic Christmas this year. The kids are at a great age to really enjoy the magic of Santa Claus, not to mention all of the toys that they finally like more than the packaging they come in! We got to see most of the family the weekend of Christmas, but didn't see my dad until he came up the following weekend to watch the kids while Lance and I want to the Vandy bowl game. That was a lot of fun too, and we were very grateful that we got to go AND the kids had a fabulous time playing with Paw Paw and the girls.

It is difficult to take a lot of pictures Christmas morning when so many things need to be opened or exclaimed over, but here are a couple! We are making another trip to Gatlinburg in a week, and although it doesn't look like we are going to be lucky enough to get snow we will visit the Aquarium again and get some pictures there too!

Posing in their cute, cute Christmas pajamas from So-So. They have very different gift opening strategies (kind of like my and Lance's vastly different opinions on how exactly Santa leaves gifts under the tree). Tyler takes his time and really notices what he unwraps - Katie tears through them as if she is being timed!

Tyler is still a big fan of matchbox/hot wheels cars and really enjoyed his parking garage. He has found a new love too though - squinkies! They are these tiny little squishy figurines that get lost and scattered around the entire house, but he loves to carry them, play pretend with them and see how they can interact with all of other favorite toys - dinosaurs, blocks, and his new airplane and train set from Paw Paw and Tia.

This picture kind of sums up what made Katie a very happy little girl Christmas morning. A playhouse (from Grandma and B-Bob) that Uncle Matthew and Ray-Ray so graciously put together since Santa didn't, the princess dress that was the only thing she consistently said she wanted from Santa, and Hello Kitty pez that she was carrying around in her new purse (and she insists on carrying her purse everywhere now if we are out and about).

We went to breakfast this morning (the first time the kids sat without boosters or high chairs and they did really great) followed by a trip to Target, and as we were walking the aisles (trying to entertain them and wear them out) they pointed out things they wanted next Christmas. I don't think they have any idea how long of a wait it will be, but hopefully the year has so much fun in store that they won't notice!