Christmas 2010

Christmas was sure awesome this year. Having kids is just the best at Christmas time. Santa came and both the girls ripped, squealed, and had tons of fun opening their gifts. Gwen got a bike this year and it took alot from Brett and I to get her to look at it. Santa left the bike off to the side so she wouldn't see it when she came downstairs. She walked right to the tree with all the presents and then Brett and I told her to look by the kitchen and she looked and said nothing. We told her to go over there by the kitchen and she ran right into the kitchen walking right by the bike without saying anything. Then we pointed the bike out to her and she was like " This is for me???" She loved it!

It was funny each time Gwen opened a gift I told her to open another one and she was like " Is it for me?" She was so hesitant thinking the presents were not for her. Such a sweetie.



Penelope was excited to get her own purse and so was Gwen since Penelope always took hers to use.



Penelope was really into all the present opening but once we started getting a good amount of wrapping paper all on the floor she decided she just wanted to eat it. I swear this girl eats anything she can get her hands on.



Cinderella Gwen's favorite princess, mainly because she has blue clothes.



After all of that Gwen just wanted to go and ride her bike outside. It took alittle bit for her to get the hang of it, but she now is a pro.



Then we got dressed and went to Brett's parents to open all the gifts there. Gwen got a crash kart from Kami to add to all the Doctor stuff she has and loves.





Gwen was so giddy when she opened Winnie the Pooh in a blanket from Grandma. She was sad when Santa didn't bring it.



Penelope just wanted Kami or Papa.



Penelope's favorite was this ball machine that Grandma gave her. She screams with excitement whenever a ball comes out.



The girls got a whole toy store between Santa, Brett & I and Grandma and Papa.



Brett got this awesome shirt from Kami which was great since we all love Arrested Development. Mr. Manager.



Brett's parents are always buying us kitchen things since I hate buying them. I would rather spend my money on other things. They all laugh since I call it " kitchen crap". It is great to have new pots & pans we really needed them.



Christmas was huge this year and I wouldn't have it any other way!

It is hard to get a family picture

Apparently Brett was having issues along with the girls.

Our traditional kids photo on the stairs before opening presents.



More Christmas to come......

Craziness

There is alot of craziness going on over here but that is for another day. The girls are enjoying the Christmas decorations and getting really excited for Santa. Gwen keeps vacuuming and telling me that she has to vacuum so Santa can come. Oh how I love that girl.

I promise I will get back into blogging here soon. I have been blogging like a maniac on my sewing blog, have you checked it out lately?

Christmas

I didn't buy the girls Christmas dresses this year since I thought we would still be staying home on that Sunday, but it turned out that we did go to church on that day. I did have a new dress that was really dressy for Gwen to wear and I put on Penelope a dress that Gwen used to wear that was green.

Then Christmas morning was great. Brett's family came over to our house and watched the girls open Santa gifts. Then after Dad made us a yummy breakfast.

My family has a tradition that you have to wait on the stairs until you take a picture before you get to go and open Santa gifts. I have carried on that tradition. Gwen would do nothing until she put on her dress-up dress. Not so much of a tomboy anymore since she started to watch the movie Enchanted. Can't you tell how excited Penelope is???



Gwenie was a pro at opening all the gifts. Of course she asked Brett to open each and everyone once she opened it.



Penelope slept the whole time we opened gifts.



I was so happy to get this picture! This is a total Gwenie face.





The girls infront of the tree after all the presents were opened. Penelope is still sleeping of course.



After we were all done we got ready and went over to Brett's parents house the open more presents and have dinner. I realized that I didn't take any pictures of Gwen opening gifts there, total bummer. I just got this one picture of us as a family.



Well Christmas was great! I got diamond earrings from Brett which I have been wanting for a long time and Gwenie came away with nothing but TOYS!!! Note to self: next year mix in clothes and other things so that the house is not over run with TOYS.

Christmas day.

After we opened Santa presents in the morning we headed over to Brett's parents and opened all of our gifts with them. It ended up being a big handmade gift day. Kami crochet Mom and I blankets and I made Kami a quilt. (more on that here)

Gwenie got a lot more of her Dee Dee. She was really happy.





Gwenie loves to read. Luckily Aunt Kami likes to read too.



Mom got us cookbooks and I realized that this is my first one. I just have a collection of recipes from people. I find that alittle funny that I have never owned one.



Kami scored with giving Gwenie everything Backyardigans. She wanted to carry them everywhere with her.



I scored too.



Our traditional Christmas day picture at his parents. We always end up on this couch with a picture of us for some reason.



The only game I can get Brett's family to play is this one. So now it is a tradition. Let me add that Brett likes to block so watch out!



We enjoyed a great fire because it rained all day. Poor Gwenie just wanted to go outside.



We had one mishap though. Dad totally burned his hand picking up a pan lid off the stove thinking that the oven was off and the lid would not be hot. Poor Dad.



We had a great day and we all made out like bandits. I am so happy that Brett is off of work until Jan. 5th. It has been a long time since he took vacation (since March) and we are going to go to Disneyland and see as many movies as possible. I can't wait.

Christmas eve.

We got together with Brett's family, and Jan's family and played our traditional Dice Game. It gets crazy with all the presents. Alot of them are white elephant gifts but some of them have money in them. It is a crazy game and it is fun to see what crap everyone ends up with.

This is only some of the gifts.

Gwenie was having a lot of fun playing with Grandpa's Christmas hat.



Then we had Gwenie open her traditional Christmas eve present of pj's.





Jan gave Gwenie a bike. Which made Brett & I have to go and return the bike that we bought her for Christmas. We will just find her something else. She loves it, it is the first thing she goes for in the morning.



The two of us. We had a great time hanging with family.

Santa Presents.

(Here is the Christmas card that I made in my NEW photoshop that I got for Christmas, thanks Brett!!)

So I know you are all dying to know where everyone stood on this issue, so here you go.

Brett: Santa puts presents wrapped under the Christmas tree and they are all wrapped. End of discussion.

Darci: Santa puts presents on the couch in the family room where the fireplace is and leaves them in neat little piles all wrapped in the same paper, to not get them mixed up with your other siblings. They are always wrapped, most importantly in Santa paper. He always leaves your stocking next to your pile so that you know which pile of presents are yours.



I am still a little bitter. Moving on.

In my family we always had the tradition that you have to wait on the stairs until my parents were all ready (my Dad liked to sleep in and he always made us wait for him). Once my Dad finally got up he then took a picture of us on the stairs and then we were free to run into the family room to open our Santa gifts. Gwenie did not want to sit on the stairs so Brett sat with her so we could keep up the tradition.



She really got into opening the presents, but she wanted to play with everything that she opened. She was having fun. Christmas is the best when you are a kid.





She is really into Elmo right now. She even made up her own name for him, "Dee Dee". Don't ask me where that one came from.



She loved the slinky that was in her stocking. So funny.



Another addition to our music night, she was already dancing to the music.



She loved the quilt that I made her. She was rolling around in it and wrapping herself in it.



We have got her trained well, she is already cleaning for us. She loves to help me, so we bought her her own little cleaning set.



After ordering my jacket online on November 1st I finally got it on Christmas eve so I thought I might as well wait and open it on Christmas day. Brett and I got our presents early this year for each other so we didn't have anything to open on Christmas day, I know we are so terrible.



Later a installment of Christmas eve and Christmas day.