Christmas

This year was the year for my brother and his family to spend Christmas with us in Katy. I love to see our kids grow up together and to see how much these cousins enjoy each other's company. I especially love it when they are tearing up my parent's house and not mine ;-)

I love shopping for stocking stuffers.... have I mentioned that? As such, I have continued my mom's legacy of buying way more things than will actually fit in a stocking including some things that are too big just by themselves.. oops!

That's what the area behind the stockings is for..... right? Anyway, after the over-full stockings were in place, we allowed the kiddos to come down from their quarantine upstairs~

Some were faster than others... but if you can't take your time coming down in order to strike several adorable poses, then what's the point?

Lizzie has developed a very special relationship with her Pa. He is the first person she asks for after Nate and myself and she always has some lovins to spare for Pa. He went back to Paris yesterday and I know she's going to miss him like crazy until he's home again~

Micah made quick work of his stocking~

I knew when I put these toothbrushes in their stockings that they would be one of their favorite things.... what can I say, dental hygiene is AWESOME~

In one of those "It doesn't hurt to try" moments, we put all of the kids in front of the tree to get a cousin picture. We didn't think we'd get anything decent, but somehow we got 5 kids aged 22 months to almost 6 to sit still, smile and all face the correct direction... without coercion.... for about 3 minutes straight. CRAZY. My dad has some shots with better settings for the lighting, but here are my favorites from what I got~

Happy kiddos~

Micah LOVES this car~

We are introducing Lizzie to the world of dress-up clothes.... I love that our car, block and ball loving girl also likes to dress pretty, throw tea parties and don fairy wings~

We had a wonderful time with family and I just wish Jane had come early enough to meet her San Antonio Aunt, Uncle and cousins before they headed home. Oh well, she will soon enough!