A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We're jumping into the New Year after celebrating a very Merry Christmas!  Once again, we were blessed with a spectacular Christmas.  Great food, fun family, a few laughs, some spiced wine, and a few timeouts....not to shabby!  

Our Christmas was relatively low key with Christmas Eve snacks at our house, candlelight service, Christmas morning extravaganza, followed by Potica for breakfast, hanging out in jammies till 2, ending with a delicious dinner and more spoiling at Nanny's house.  

Bradock and Ashlyn were blessed...or for a better word spoiled....yet again by a fulfilling visit from Santa Claus among others.  We've learned in our few years of parenting to limit (especially Bradock!) to how many things he writes on his list to Santa.  Otherwise, as you could imagine, Santa would probably have to take up a third job (in our family at least!!) So, after deep thinking and a several changes, Bradock decided on asking for a knight castle, Apatosaurus dinosaur and a Webkinz.  Ashlyn, being 3 and not really caring too much yet, asked for a new kitchen and a princess cup!  Needless to say, they were thrilled Christmas morning when they awoke to their newest prized possessions!

Bradock being Bradock in our Sunday School program at church.

Bradock having a little visit with Santa at Mountain View's Craft Night.  He made sure to ask Santa what Rudolph preferred to eat before he left!  We made sure to leave the reindeer cut up apples this year, per Santa's request...

Ashlyn's gingerbread man that she decorated with Papa and Nanny.

Bradock being my helper and decorating Christmas cookies.

Bradock and his gingerbread man

Surprisingly, Ashlyn had no interest in helping decorate cookies....go figure after baking four batches of cookies, she doesn't want to decorate!

My handsome husband!!

Bradock loved his Iron Man car Ashlyn got him for Christmas!!  He was very impressed that she picked that out for him!

Happy to be opening some presents!

Our family ready for Christmas Eve service

We love this picture because it only lasts for a few minutes...if you know my kids, you know this picture was followed by a chokehold!  Maybe I'll post that one next year!

Santa followed through with Bradock's knight castle!

Ashlyn's stainless steel kitchen!  Daddy said it probably took Santa 5 hours to put that together....that's right, five hours!

They both got new LeapPad2 for Christmas from Mom and Dad.  They both LOVE them, can't you tell?!

Ginger loves cardboard...we don't know why, but even she helped open up the kids' Christmas presents!!

Santa left a note for Bradock and Ashlyn especially thanking Bradock for the book he made for Santa!

We've thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas vacation.  We were lucky enough to have James home with us for an extended vacation over Christmas.  After a few days of lounging around, playing Wii games, sledding, movies, playing with new toys, we're back into our normal routine.  So from our family to yours, we hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Year!!