This year Carlie got another American Girl. This year she got Nellie, Samantha's best friend. She was tickled...can't you tell!
Cam had really wanted a Boston "away" jersey. And Dustin Pedroia is his favorite player. Although, he doesn't look real enthusiastic in this picture! ha ha
The kids gave Nanny some charms for her Pandora bracelet. Each were the birthstone of one of the grandchildren. She loved them!We all had a really good time. Like Rhonda said "who wouldn't want to come hang out with all of us!". We think we are alot of fun. Christmas really is a blast with us. And getting better because now it's no longer just Sean quoting every line from Christmas Vacation. The kids have gotten old enough to watch the movie AND the movie Elf! Needless to say there were lots, and lots of "you serious Clark", McKenzies favorite: "Grace? Grace passed away thirty years ago"...."THE BLESSING"....."I pledge allegiance....." and my personal favorite " If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn't be any more surprised than I am right now". Now we have all the Elf quotes down too. Carlie's favorite:"I'm singing....I'm in a store AND I'M SINGING". Cam's favorite: "Why are you smiling". "I like smiling. Smiling's my favorite." "Make work your favorite. That's your new favorite". "OK." That movie is hilarious!!! We stay up until the wee hours watching movies and talking....and cracking up at just about anything!!
The next morning...of course everyone is already up by the time I wander down the stairs...so I don't know what goes on until 9:30 or so! But then we eat breakfast and pack up to get ready for Santa.
On Christmas Eve my family comes over to our house to exchange gift and eat. This year Cam & Car got a few gifts from Ya Ya and Gramma but then.....
For the first time every the kids got MONEY as a gift! They couldn't have been happier! In fact next year I think I'll just put the money I would spend on Christmas presents in their stocking and save myself the stress! ha haCam and Carlie got $100 from Gram and $100 from Ya Ya. So they "were rich"! ha. Don't you remember getting a $100 bill? Not five $20s, but that crisp bill with 1-0-0 printed on it! I remember thinking I was the richest kid in the world! Isn't that funny? Now I realize that $100 buys me two full tanks of gas!!! But they were THRILLED!
Carlie managed to spend the full $200 at American Girl in Atlanta (more on that in another post). Cam made his last a little longer buying junk for his football helmet and after he got some birthday money he bought an iTouch(while Britt and I were out of town)....what every nine year old needs! Gimme a break!So Santa came and went. He left the kids, as Cam put it "every single thing I asked for!". They both had a really good Christmas. The highlight of the day was when Carlie opened the violin that she has been asking for ALL year.....
Cam was most thrilled over his Valley Cub football jersey and "real" black football helmet! He wore it for three days!!
For lunch on Christmas Day we went to my Mimi's house in Attalla. She is the BEST cook. So we got to hang out with my bunch of yahoos for awhile. Trust me, there is never a dull moment!
Me, Derek, Cam, and Aunt CaseyDerek is my 1st cousin. He's 20 and is pre-pharmacy at UAB. His sister, Layla, had to go back to Birmingham that morning, so we didn't get to see her. She graduates from UAB Medical School in May. Cam thinks Derek is fantastic! They went up to my great grandmother's house. She's been dead since 1990 and her house has sat empty and falling apart. So Derek kicked in the door and took my kids around in it. They thought that was SO cool. They came back saying they "broke in a house". We're so proud....
We had, in the words of Clark Griswold, "a good old fashioned family Christmas"!
Hope you did too!
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