Christmas Pics Blog Hop

We are a family filled with traditions! One of my favorite is our Christmas Eve eve tradition!

Every year on December 23 we go to my mother in law's house. We have dinner with my sister in law, her husband, and two girls, my mother in law, and my grandmother-in-law. Usually a couple of Britt's cousins and their kids and spouses show up too.
After we have dinner, we retire to the living room to exchange gifts. This year, after dinner, the kids all ran to the living room. Britt's mom went in there and said "Let's move to the den, we have more room in there." My two kids, and my nieces looked at her like she was crazy! M & M (my nieces) both said "No! We ALWAYS open gifts in here!" and Carlie added "And I always sit RIGHT HERE!!!" Apparently.....the living room is part of the tradition........

Here are a few pictures from that night.

Cam was so excited to open his Alabama Crimson Tide pylons from Big Mama!
He has wanted them for his backyard football games!

Carlie (already in her pjs) was thrilled with her "silky, fuzzy" North Face jacket from Nanny!
And she LOVES the bubble gum pink color!

Cam was equally excited about his gray North Face. He's always had a black one....like everyone else! He needed to be different!

They couldn't have been any more excited than they were when they opened these!
Cricketzzz Sleeping Bags!!!!!
When we were at Callaway Gardens this summer, Cam slept in my niece M's sleeping bag. It was so soft! He has asked for one since the Fourth of July!
Both kids have slept in those sleeping bags ON THEIR BEDS since Christmas!!

And LOOK! Carlie got a matching one for her American Girl dolls!!!! Too Cute!

After opening gifts, the eight of us spend the night at Nanny's house. The next morning, Christmas Eve, we get up and cook a big breakfast and eat together. Then we spend several hours playing games and just enjoying being a family!

This year each kid decorated a gingerbread house too.

Somewhere after lunchtime we all head home to get ready for Santa!

Usually my family comes to our house on Christmas Eve for dinner, and join us at our Christmas Eve church service. But this year my stepdad had to work on Christmas Eve, so they all came on Christmas Day.

Speaking of Christmas Day........here's what it looked like at our house this year!

Cam and Carlie woke up at 6AM to see what Santa brought them!

Carlie got the Barbie Glamour Camper she had been wanting forever!
She was so excited she was doing this seventies-ish dance, that totally cracked us up!

Cam has gotten into "professional" wrestling this year. (Which really stresses me out.) I had hoped we were more culturally evolved than this. Apparently not.
Regardless, he loves it. And asked for this ring for Christmas.

Carlie got this FurReal monkey that moves and makes noise and is totally creepy!
Again, loves it. And asked for it.

After all the Santa gifts were opened...(Yes, Santa wraps the gifts at our house. He knows our favorite part is tearing off the paper!)....it was time for a gift from mom and dad.
They opened the box to find a key.
After looking at each other for several seconds, and wondering why we gave them a house key, it dawned on Cam that perhaps it was a key to a vehicle!
They took off through the garage to find THIS...........

A golf cart!!!!

Or as I like to call it......"Golf Cart-osaurus"!!!!!
This thing is a monster!

This is what happens to a golf cart when you let your gun-toting, Skoal dipping husband have free reign in customizing it!!

This golf cart started out green with white seat and a white top, looking like it was about to go ride around 18 holes of golf! Britt had a lift kit put on, tires wider than the ones on my Acadia, wheels blacked out, body painted black, whatever than stuff is that looks like a toolbox on a truck put on the floor, fender flares, head and tail lights, a brush guard, a rear seat, a new front seat, and a new top! Now this baby is so tall it will not fit through the roll up door to our basement!! So Golfcartosaurus has to live in our garage!

But the kids absolutely LOVE it!!!!!! They have ridden all over our neighborhood AND in the woods behind our house! Both kids said this was "the best Christmas ever"!

But they say that every year!!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Be blessed,