christmas

i can still post about christmas, right? 

good, cause here i go.

the christmas traditions in our little family are set in stone and in full swing these days. i mean, its the same thing year after year but to deviate would we sinful... i never ever ever want it to change. our christmas eve and day traditions go a little something like this:

-chirstmas eve matinee (the muppet movie... ROLLED)

- dinner with gregory's (homemade salsa, lil smokies, cheeseballs, etc.)

- a "surprise" visit from santa

- a long drive home looking at christmas lights

- the opening of christmas jammies

- warm tubbies

- reading a christmas story

- children nestled in bed

- WAKE UP!

- present mania

- quick change into new christmas sweat suits/duds

- brunch at yaya's

- babies nodding off as we drive to nannie's

- present exchange williams style

- delicious prime rib & ham dinner

- lots of games and craziness

- baths with cousins

- jammie time!

- more craziness

- drive home

- put sleeping babies into beds

and finally

- mom and dad get some much needed shut eye.

things were a little different this year, with my grandma dying on christmas eve. i found out she passed as soon as the movie was over via text, i gasped and ran out of theatre and headed straight to her place to be with my mom. i cried a lot with my mom and sisters... and then i had to pull myself up by my bootstraps and head over to the gregory's to participate in christmas traditions, for my kids. unfortunately, christmas day was sort of pathetic too, the dark cloud of death just a day beind me. being with my sweet mom was heartbreaking, we all felt a little lost on christmas. my mom was as always, amazing, and still made a delicious feast for us and played happy but we could all feel the heartache behind the smile. it was all just a little weird. i guess all that was important is that we were together on christmas, the kids were happy, and i truly felt love for our savior jesus christ and his love for me on the day of his birth.

cubbie loves his yaya...

and his great grandma polly loves him.

 couch dwellers waiting for santa.

how do you think jude felt about santa's arrival? he is never lacking in the excitement category.

dirty santa and creepy mrs. claus

years past 07, 08, 10

still smiling...

how is landy so old? promise he was 6 (ummm, jude is 6) when i met him!

ez hated santa...
and really i can't say i am any less freaked out by this version of santa than ezra is. right?

greta? yeah, she was ready for her turn.

my adorable family.

such a proud mama.

the christmas eve party crew 2011

freshly bathed and jammied up kids, edible.

jude and schmez's relationship perfectly captured.

cookies and milk for santa? not at our house...  i'm pretty sure i heard reindeer like celery in addition to carrots (add an onion and you have a mirepoix. duh) , santa gets sick of the sweets and wants a savory snack, and we weren't sure if he was lactose intolerant so we opted for root beer (bottled, of course).

i somehow snuck of picture of the finished product AFTER santa had come and BEFORE the kids woke up.

sleepy anticipation

greta poopin' her pants over her #1 most requested gift ever, "dog that walks".

we have now entered the lego stage of our life...

and trevan has never been more excited.

cubbie and his iphone.

scoobs and her scoots.

my handsome boy.

busy boy ezra pulled the flat iron off the counter the day before while i was doing gaga's hair.... whoops.

 this picture is why we do it folks,

the sheer joy of kids on christmas....

and that's all she wrote.