Christmas card pictures, 2013 edition

This weekend, Anna and I took the kids to the trail so I could take their pictures for our Christmas card. (I always ask Anna to come if she's able, because she is SO good at making the kids laugh and smile!) I had a vision of what I wanted the pictures to look like, but . . . that didn't quite work out, ha ha.  And as usual, we got some silly pictures, but we also got some really, really good ones this year! Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy! :-) 

Christmas pictures!

Our Christmas, in pictures!

Dennis made us yummy fried eggs, bacon, and sausage on Christmas morning. Oliver said the eggs were so good, they tasted like chocolate. :-)  

The tree, before:

Getting ready to open gifts:

During:

I didn't take an "after" picture, but there were 7 kitchen-sized trash bags full of wrapping paper and empty boxes after we were finished opening presents!! 

The kids really enjoyed their gifts! Grandma and Grandpa gave Theodore this ride-on giraffe, which he LOVES.

Grandma and Grandpa also gave Buttercup this Baby Alive doll, and she was so excited when she opened the package! We learned pretty quickly that you have to hold the doll just right when you give her a bottle, otherwise the liquid will leak out of the baby's head, instead of going into the diaper like it's supposed to. Just like a real baby! Ha ha ha. :-)

Dennis and I gave Oliver a snap circuit set this year. Dennis (and Aunt Anna!) helped him figure out how to get started, and since then he's been working on the projects by himself! He pretty much spent all of Christmas putting things together -- either with his circuit set, or with Legos. :-) 

  

(Theodore has gotten used to my big camera.) :-)

Dennis and I gave Buttercup this cat family to go with her dollhouse. :-)

Of course, we had to decorate more cookies on Christmas! The kids were decorating these for our sweet neighbor. 

Watching Elf, for the 40th time. :-)

 This is a toy that Oliver had been wanting for a while, a remote-control vehicle that can travel on any surface and even in water! It was pretty chilly outside with a steady wind, but of course that didn't deter Oliver from going outside to test it out. In flip flops. :-)

We all ended up outside in the late afternoon, and the wind was very strong and very chilly!!!! Buttercup's face sums it up: 

Oliver was pretending to be blown away by the wind:

Brrrrr, and Merry Christmas!

Making cookies, decorating and playing in the leaves

I love Christmas. It's my absolutely favorite holiday, and I look forward to it every year! Sometimes it's hard to get into the holiday spirit when it's 80 degrees outside, but the two older kids have been getting super excited about Christmas, which also helps me get excited about it again, too. :-)  Buttercup had been asking for about 1 month if it was time for us to put up a Christmas tree, so last weekend we finally went out and got one! We also decorated the tree, decorated the house, made some Christmas cookies, and some Christmas crafts -- all in the same day. Whew!  Lots of fun.  :-) 

 

Theodore didn't get to help make the cookies this year, but he did enjoy climbing up onto the step stool and sneaking some! 

He also liked swiping the cookie decorations off of the counter. :-)

I love this sweet boy!

And I love this sweet girl!!!

 
As per our usual tradition, the kids picked out a special ornament at Hobby Lobby. Oliver picked out a dinosaur (which I forgot to take a picture of) and Buttercup picked out this black horse. She insisted on hanging it next to the stable, because . . . that's where horses belong! :-)

I gave Theodore a couple of soft ornaments to hang on the tree. He ran around the living room with them for a little while, then threw them on the rug. Then he picked up his dirty sock and stuffed it in the tree (in the picture below). He was so proud of himself! I love that sweet baby!!!!!

The kiddos were getting a little crazy after eating cookies and being inside for too long, so we shooed them outside in the back yard.  Theodore was perfectly happy playing in a big pile of leaves!

Buttercup had fun being herself . . .

. . . and then she had fun trying to make leaf angels! 

Theodore tried to make leaf angels, too. :-)

 
Then Oliver came over with a wheelbarrow full of leaves for his baby brother, and all 3 kids decided to have a leaf dance party. :-) What a fun day!