CHRISTMAS 2010

What a WONDERFUL Christmas!! I think we were so used to being away from home for the holidays that we forgot how awesome it is to slow down, be with family and be in your pj's all day!This was my first time doing stockings and Santa gifts all by myself. We are usually with parents or on vacation. I had so much fun writing letters to Santa with the kids, getting the "elf on the shelf", ours was named Marty, and talking about baby Jesus with the kids. It was a magical year!!
The kids loved their stocking and gifts but were very anxious to open the gifts they'd been eyeing since November!

Grams, Gramps, Greg and Andrea rushed over around 9:00 and the opening began!

He knew exactly what this one was and was SOOO excited!! His DSi XL!!

Our neighbor gave us this huge remote control Hummer and Johnny had no idea what it was! It's still in the box. We're all a little intimidated.Razor from Mimi and Papa!

Liv had been asking for a PINK DS since her birthday. She got a pink Leapster instead.


We got Andrea a little shirt, vest, scarf ensemble.

Greg-a Nike jacket
Denise-green rubber crocodile skin cowgirl boots!
Papa-tons of bait and fishing stuff to catch more catfish at the lake!
We said bye bye to Johnny after he opened it. He was in Nintendo land.

Breakfast: the Toolson's favorites. Sausage bake, coffee cake, peaches, fruit and holiday bread from Panera. Yum!! I skyped with my parents and KC during breakfast. It was so great to hear his voice all the way from Guatemala!

Presents at the Allens!
Denise wrapped everything for the kids from fruit snacks to toys to bikes. They opened prsents from about 9 am-1 and loved every minute of it!!







After a while, the big kids started asking "do WE have anything to open Gramz?" And we did!
Those things kinda creep me out...Greg is turning out to be such a cute uncle!!

Rebecca and Denise made the most beautiful books filled with photos of Grandma Tove and Grandpa Jerry (Papa's parents). We will truly cherish them forever!
Denise and her new vibrating neck band thingy
I don't know what was so funny. I think we were laughing because Denise had lots of presents from herself!
Pops got some new kicks
This was so cute-Papa got "Denise" an XXL life jacket and some new ski ropes!
The kids' big presents!
Big Wheels!
And the big kids' presents: IPADS! Yes, we are very spoiled and very grateful. Thank you J&D!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Pre-Christmas Festivities...in reverse order

We went to the Houston Zoo on Christmas Eve (day) and had a splendid time with our animal friends! There is a new African exhibit that is pretty cool. The giraffes finally got a real home. And there are now chimps and two baby elephants!! That night we went to Carrabba's for our Christmas Eve dinner, sooo good, then went home to read Luke 2 and open Christmas PJ's. Perfect eve.She's nuts

Liv is obsessed with carousels. OBSESSED I tell you. We tried to avoid it but it's hard to do. So we caved, bought the ticket and she chose the caterpillar thing. At least choose a cool animal like the white tiger or the manatee. Nope.
Longhorns.
I came home from Vegas with treats for the kids from Becca, Gramma Betty and Karen. Becca gave her this cute outfit for her birthday but she saw it in my suitcase before I could hide it and that was the end of that. And the little Simba is from Karen and her is her new sleepy toy.

Grandma Baker sent the kids "Sing-a-ma-jigs", this year's hottest toy, according to the Today Show. They are the funniest little things that sing one word of the song every time you push their tummies. And if you can push them all at the same time, they harmonize!

We did the new gingerbread train this year. We all decided we like doing the house much better. And a glue gun is a MUST because that frosting is joke. And not very yummy according to Johnny.
Livy' is trying to decide how to smile for pictures these days. Mostly she just looks like a monster. A cute one though!
We had fun playing with friends. James and Johnny finally became buds even though James is Livy's age. They are both 100% boy.
Liv was not in the mood for her Christmas program at school. Usually she sings and dances and makes faces and entertains us all but this go around she just stood there with a blank face and did nothing.
And on a side note, she is one of those texturally weird kids who does not like sock seams or tights or shirts with ruffle seams so when I laid out her pretty Christmas dress, black tights and black shoes before school that day, I came back and she was hacking off the toes of her tights with kitchen shears. So we had to cut the feet off her tights. And she loved them. I swear this girl has so many cute clothes and she walks around every day looking homeless.

I LOVE my tree. So much. Mom did such a good job decorating it this year. Livy loved rearranging the ornaments on the bottom. And I loved starring at it all day. In fact, I would sometimes leave the lights on all day so I could admire it's twinkle in the daylight.

Fun at La Centera with Greta, Amelia and Angela.
Johnny outgrew his shoes we bought for him in September and could not wear them one more day. So daddy took him to get new shoes and came back with these and some Nikes. Johnny thinks these All Stars make him run faster than all the girls at school now!
The Christmas tree at La Centera on a date night with the kiddos when daddy was at school.