We finished out our Christmas festivities at Lake Eufaula with Grandma Baldwin. We ate delicious food, enjoyed visiting with family, had fun playing with cousins, and opened a lot of great presents! Grandma Baldwin always spoils everyone!
Christmas morning with kids is just magic! The entire month of December is a whirlwind, working up to this point, but it is so worth it. We kept with our brilliant tradition of having our kids sit at the top of the stairs and sing Christmas songs to wake us up before they can come downstairs. #genius
The biggest surprise this year was for Jonah...we finally gave in and got him a phone and he was HAPPY! (Well--let me rephrase that--I got a new phone & he got my old phone!) #geniusagain
We also got him a BB gun, because every boy needs one, right?!
Madi's big gift from us this year was a vanity for her room. Brian spent hours putting that thing together! Mackenzie is sometimes hard to buy for, because unlike Madi, she doesn't have a mile long Christmas list. =0) She has mentioned wanting to see the Back to the Future musical several times, so we got her 2 tickets to see it in Dallas in March. She can take whoever she would like, but I'm guessing his name starts with a K. =0) Jack's big present from us is his very own tablet & a fun little Spiderman desk/storage set.
Given the fact that Brian's severance was ending at the end of December, and we wouldn't have regular paychecks coming after that, I struggled a bit with buying Christmas presents this year. But, we were determined to keep things as normal as possible for our kids. And, we were both working our tails off on cookies, subbing, making christmas trees for Lingo, Ubering, and anything else we could do. We are going to be okay! We can always make more money...we can't make more time...so we were not going to let the hard things in life steal the joy of Christmas for our kids! And yes--I know it's not all about the presents--but that is such a fun part of Christmas.
After opening presents, I made breakfast as always, and then we got ready to head to Grandma Baldwins for the afternoon/evening.
Merry Christmas, my babies! When you are grown and think back to Christmas as a kid, I hope you always know how much love and care went into making Christmas mornings special and happy for you!
The look on his face was priceless!!
My favorite thing about Christmas is waking up to their sweet voices singing Christmas songs. My very favorite. Then they have to patiently keep singing while we get out of bed and get situated before they can come downstairs!
Jack finally got a Maui hook!! He had a complete fit at Disney on Ice a few months back, because I wouldn't buy him the $45 Maui hook there...so when I saw this one at Target for $10, I was so excited!!
Strawberry bread has become a Christmas tradition!
I love having my picture taken before I'm ready...
One happy girl! She couldn't wait to get her vanity upstairs to her room, and start organizing all of her makeup!
Necklace from Anastasia!
"Look Momma, my tummy is like Santa!" LOL!
Madi is the best card maker! PRECIOUS!!
The best gift ever!
Jonah gave us this card with $20 (which is probably the only money he had)...again, so sweet! (He meant "From-your favorite child") Love this kid so much!
The drive to the lake on Christmas is always nap time!
