The Big Day - Christmas 2010 Part 2

After all of the morning celebrations we got dressed and were off to join the Picini's & Bergman's for some Christmas dinner....then non-stop fun, attention & playing with all of the "big kid" cousins. Both Mason & Fiona were loving it!

Some target shooting from Fiona with the new Nerf gun...she was a bit obsessed with it but actually a really good shot for a 2 year old;)

On to MORE gifts.....these deprived children;)

 Some quality time playing games with the girls....

What a day....wonderful to celebrate with our sweet kids & enjoy the fun watching them get so excited & of course to spend time with family who are so important in our lives & our children's.

Off to bed!

The Big Day - Christmas 2010 Part 1

The big day had finally arrived and Mason & Fiona were kind enough...and tired enough to sleep until 7!! A Christmas miracle in itself!

Since our kids have been known to be early risers & get a bit nutty when they are completing for something we decided it was best to reinstate our gate to block them from rushing the tree & opening their gifts before we could rub our eyes awake...plus, mom cannot miss a photo op!

talk about ready at the gate

And let the fun begin!! Santa was even clever enough this year to wrap all of the kids gifts in their own wrapping paper...though less colorful under the tree, it was a HUGE success so they knew which ones that they could open and which to hand off...

Stockings are always alot of fun too....anyone who has seen the "unique" gifts that Santa leaves in Sidell stockings knows how truly entertaining the process can be;)

With the goodies from Santa opened the kids didn't have to wait long for another "sleigh" of goodies to arrive along with Nana & Auntie Amy.

Thank you Nana & Auntie for all of the treats & enjoying Christmas morning with us!

Christmas Eve 2010

Christmas Eve is always a special night for the family. We put the kids in their holiday finest & head over to Nana's for some holiday fun. Including a surprise visit from Santa. On his very busy night he makes time for Cooper, Mason & Fiona's last Christmas wishes.

Fiona's new "high fashion" pose....

Mason wasn't keen on getting near Santa but certainly loved the early gift he brought....remote controlled Escalade! Santa is all business...

Fiona was a little more gracious with Santa & even thanked him on his way out.

She was even polite enough to show off her cool new alphabet keyboard to Cooper, Uncle Steve & Kerri....for a minute at least.

Of course I had to bring out the holiday crackers that I have always loved....

And more goodies to open. These kids made out well and we hadn't even hit the big day yet!

 The visit is never complete without some rough housing from one of the Bergmans...You know who you are;)

And off to bed for the big day ahead....though Mason did get 2 Santa visits he asked on each occasion why he didn't hear the reindeer on the roof?....love the magic of Christmas.

Finally....A Start to the Many Christmas Celebrations!

We don't mess around with Christmas here. The kids were able to celebrate the holiday at several events. The anticipation was a bit much by the actual date but the kids both fared well & enjoyed all of the holiday spirit....
We had our 3rd annual playgroup Santa party to get everyone in the spirit...Santa was a brave soul to enter the room with all of the kids hyped up on sugar & treats;)

Mason was thrilled upon Santa's arrival and promptly parked himself front & center....so we waited for him to get up and take a turn each time a new child had a chance....and waited.

After some prompting & lack of anyone else left to have a turn...our boy was itching for a gift from Santa's bag. He had to step out of his comfort zone in order to score his gift & sat on Santa's lap....

Wouldn't say he talked Santa's ear off but his dear friends Laurel & Matthew saw what was happening & stepped up and spoke on his behalf. They didn't want Santa to miss his name or his Christmas wishes, Laurel just let Santa know that "Mason was a little shy but that's okay."

.....so through all of the crazy sales, shopping & excess of the Christmas season this was a nice reminder of what the holidays are about....