Christmas Day!

Addison and Hannah were very excited to find a Bike and a Trike under the tree for them. The twins were excited about the cereal. By the way, putting cereal out in front of the tree is a tradition that started with my dad's family. My Grandma told me one year was an especially tight year with respect to finances and Christmas Eve they were looking at the tree and feeling kind of down about how little there was under it. Then they got an idea. They went to the pantry and brought out stuff they had in food storage and put it under the tree. The next morning the kids each got to pick some of their favorite foods from under the tree. It's since evolved into cereal, but I love the little story behind it.

Opening Stockings. Waking up my sister was kind of a big deal this year. I took pictures of her coming out of her room. See that random cardboard thing on the right of the picture. That's what caused this reaction. What is it you wonder? It's a life size cardboard cut out of her boyfriend who left to serve a mission in Argentina just before Christmas. Now, lest you think we're REALLY weird and disturbing, we kind of have an ongoing joke with her. When High School musical came out, my parents found a cardboard cutout of Justin Bieber and got it for her. We found it incredibly entertaining to put it in random places like her shower or closet to creep her out. The tradition continued with Robert Pattinson when Twilight came out. We put him right in front of her door Christmas morning...like the open-her-bedroom-door-and-he's-right-in-her-face kind of "in front of her door". That year it scared her to death her when she opened her door, her blood curdling scream could be heard throughout the house. It was AWESOME.

So this year, as Bart and I were talking about how Ron (her boyfriend) was leaving, Bart commented, "Hey, we should get a cardboard cutout of him for her for Christmas!" After some web searches and the go ahead from my parents, Ronnie boy was on his way. She thought it was pretty funny, and her roommates were pretty bummed she didn't bring it back up to school with her.

There, now hopefully you only think we're mildly weird and disturbing. ;)

Moving on...

We mistakenly had Hannah open her Polly Pocket as one of her first presents.  It was like pulling teeth to get her to open the other ones.
But this was her reaction to a robe my parents got her. Who knew a two year old would be so excited about a robe? I think she was just excited to give Grandpa a hug.

And this is my adorable niece wearing the hair clips I made her.


And more of the day's festivities.  That pan Bart is so excitedly holding up in the air...comic muffin tins.  He LOVES them.  Now he always wants to make muffins.  I have to admit, they are pretty freaking amazing. Sigh, Christmas always seems to go by so fast.