And a Happy New Year!

Tim and I tired to take the kids pictures for our christmas card...a couple of these got used, most didn't, but they still ended up being some of my favorites...and I figured what better way to end the year!

Timmy

Emma

Kallie

I know I already posted this one on Christmas day, but I LOVE it!

And just for fun, I thought I'd post some "outtakes."  This is what it REALLY looks like from behind the camera...

The girls have a very hard time standing still...they put their arms around each other and the giggling begins!!! 

I'm not sure what they're looking at or what they're talking about, but I love this next sequence of pictures...not because they're great pictures, just because the girls look like two old besties! :)

If you've ever wondered, this is how we bribe our kids to sit still (I know, great parenting)....

And even with bribes, we usually only get one to look....awkward poses are also more often than not (Emma covering Timmy's ear...and don't worry, Timmy really does love Kallie, it just looks like he's trying to choke her)!

They're distracted by anything and everything...

Kallie could do without the camera all together...

 I have NO idea what's going on here...but it makes me laugh.

And I'll leave you with these ones...because, well...when you have kids that don't exactly follow directions and you just keep shooting anyway...you seem to catch it all....

Eeewwww.....

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Healthy (and booger-eating free) New Year!!!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas....

Christmas this year was so fun!  I feel like it was the first real Christmas for the kids, where they understood the concept of Santa (and actually sat on his lap and told him what they wanted) and were so excited about everything. So much fun for us to see our kids "believe" and be so amazed by all the season has to offer.  Christmas morning was a whirlwind and basically, if you've seen one picture, you've seen them all.  We took hundreds of pictures....and they all look like this...

I wasn't kidding when I said all Timmy needed was the train table.....this was ALL he wanted to do... 

Pretty much all of his pictures look like this...

Tim had to force him to sit on his lap to open anything...at least we got some smiles with trains.

The girls loved opening presents....

Emma

Kallie

When looking through pics, I realized they weren't always happy with our choices of how we split things up. This sequence of pictures made me laugh...

The girls showing each other their presents.

Ooops :/

 Sorry, Kals! But who doesn't love Candy Land?!

The house was a mess by the time we were done! 

And then it was on to Grandma and Papa Stacey's to do it all over again...this time with a little nicer hair, more kids...

and more trains, of course!

 By the time we got to my mom and dad's house, this is pretty much how the kids felt about unwrapping ( SPOILED)...

 But it didn't seem to stop anyone from looking for more presents! 

It was a BUSY day, and sometimes I wish that Christmas could be a little more how I remember it when I was a little girl....a lazy day hanging out in my jammies and playing with all of my new toys.  But then I reflect on all the family, support and love we have around us and I feel so unbelievably lucky!  I truly wouldn't want it any other way!!!  

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

I know a lot of people have Christmas Eve traditions...but the truth is, we don't (yet).  And this year Auntie Sarah (my sister-in-law) invited us over for a big authentic Italian Christmas Eve dinner...and who could say no to that?!  So we hung out there for the night...great food and being with family...nothing better (not many pictures because we really just enjoyed the night)!

I am including this picture we took right before leaving for dinner because it is the ONLY picture we took of the all the kids in front of the tree!  It was hectic on Christmas morning with the girls ripping through presents and Timmy not even wanting to open anything.  I'll get to all that later, but I still can't believe I didn't have them sit there for just a quick shot before all of the craziness began!

Notice our ornaments are only on the top half of the tree.  When we decorated, it was the opposite...everything was on the very bottom, but as more and more ornaments were being broken everyday, they eventually moved to the top!  We also couldn't put presents under the tree this year until Christmas Eve because the kids couldn't resist opening them!    

When we got home, it was time to leave out some milk and cookies for Santa!  We've never had a special cookie plate for Santa before...last year we literally used a paper plate with Christmas stickers and wrote a note to Santa on it.  This year we made a plate with the kids' hand and thumb prints on it.  It's not exactly like I had envisioned (it's supposed to be a wreath with berries on it), but nonetheless, they are my babies' handprints, so I love it anyway....I'm sappy like that!  I can't wait to take it out at Christmas time every year and remember how little the kids were,  how much fun they were at this age, and how exciting Christmas was this year!    

We also left food out front for the reindeer.  Auntie Sarah has given the kids reindeer food every year for Christmas Eve and the kids love deciding where to sprinkle it.  Kallie also had to specifically leave a carrot out for Rudolph this year and thought A LOT about where to leave it!  I should have got a picture of that...the kids are so funny right now!  I was surprised at how much the kids seem to understand and "get" the whole Christmas thing...they were giddy with excitement and running around screaming and laughing.  It wasn't exactly easy getting them to settle down and go to bed, so Tim and I, errrr uh, I mean Santa Claus had a later night than expected ;)  But so worth it when it was all done!  I'm actually not sure who was more excited for Christmas morning...the kids or mommy and daddy! 

 The train table was Timmy's big present from Santa.  And it was all he really needed...he didn't care about anything else!

  

"Soovy-boo"

Even though I didn't blog much in December, we were busier than ever!  It's weird how I love Christmas time and can't wait for it to be over with all at the same time!!!  Before getting to actual Christmas day I thought I'd share some pictures from one of our December outings...

Silveyville - We didn't get our tree here...we just went for some festive fun!  The kids had a great time and Emma referred to it as "Soovy-boo" all day!!!

I love these faces....

(Emma)

Even this one.....(Kallie)

Because it makes me love this one even more!  

She's a tough one to crack, but when she does, it's so worth it! :)

Getting ready for our sleigh ride!

Playing hide and seek in the trees...

Found you, Emma!

Timmy overdoing the "cheeeese!"

Measuring our little Christmas trees :)

Emma

Kallie

Timmy...

Typical male....already trying to pass for taller than he actually is!