Christmas Day

Christmas 2013 was FANTASTIC!

Ninnie was here (YEAH), and she held Myles the entire morning (YEAH)!

We had a wonderful morning...

complete with memorable gifts, a tasty brunch, and lots of hugs!

I was very excited to receive a Memory Letter Box for Myles.  We have one for Clare and Isaac (a special keepsake box with cards to write to your children every year until they turn 21), and the company went out of business.  My mom searched high and low and found one so that little Myles wouldn't be left out on all the nostalgia.

Isaac's favorite gift (and that which he requested from Santa) was more cars and tracks for his Zip Track set.  He has already invested MANY hours with this.

Clare LOVED her doll house (which she helped design and then Phil built) 

and her Papa Smurf (which she requested from Santa).

Christmas afternoon in Florida is sunny and warm rather than cold and white.  AMEN!

We took a family outing to the park and tennis courts.

Ninnie volunteered to hang with Myles.

Clare and Papa play tennis about once a week, and she is getting pretty good.

Look at the determination on that sweet, little face.

Clare is right-handed but left-armed.  She writes with her right hand and does everything else (throws, eats, plays tennis, etc.) with her left hand.

Phil picked up tennis a year or so ago, 

and it's so fun watching him play the sport that I've played for years.

Papa is the best coach!

Just like riding a bike.

Ann couldn't resist picking up the racket, 

and she still had the touch...even in flip flops.

Mema played hide-and-seek with the kiddos.

Isaac likes hiding, but he never wants anyone to work too hard at finding him.

He makes as much noise as possible so that the seeker can find him right away.

 

 In the afternoon, we made our annual birthday cake for Jesus.

Clare was solely in charge of decorating.

I'm including the following pictures because they crack me up...and I think that they will make us laugh years down the road.  Clare erupted into a full-blown meltdown because Phil told her that she didn't get to blow out ALL of the candles.  SERIOUSLY!

We love our spirited girl, but we're kind of thankful that this house is only 40% estrogen.

So as not to end the post with sad faces, 

here is a more typical glimpse of our beautiful Clare Bear!

 Joyful, Blessed, Wonderful, Delightful, Happy, Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve

Mema and Papa took the big kids to Busch Gardens on Christmas Eve.

They had one more chat with Santa before the big day.

Clare, now 5, is able to go in with the kangaroos...

and she requests to do that every time she goes to Busch.

We had a nice Christmas Eve meal before heading to church at 7:00PM.

A little story time before heading off to church.

 Stories and snuggles with Papa!

Quick family photo while we were somewhat dressed up.

 As tradition has it in our family, we all opened one present on Christmas Eve.

Our sad looking tree (only lit on the top half and mostly decorated on the bottom half)...

but our happy family of FIVE.  :)

Phil started a new tradition this year.  He camped out with Clare and Isaac.  They slept in our back yard and listened for Santa and the reindeer. 
Myles and Mommy staying inside.

It was a fun day/night in preparation for Jesus' birthday!

Christmas Cookies...A.K.A. Sprinkles and Frosting

My Mom ("Mema") is AWESOME when it comes to many things...

Christmas cookies are towards the top of the list.

Not only has she mastered the best sugar cookie recipe on earth, but she patiently decorates dozens of cookies with two little "helpers."

 Lots of frosting and sprinkles were consumed in a short amount of time.

A short break for photo ops.

Back to business!

CHEESE face!

Back to business.

 "Business" for Clare and Isaac meant consuming as much sugar as possible before someone finally cut them off.

Wouldn't want to miss any!

Clare took the decorating a bit more seriously than Mr. Frosting Face.

Mema cleverly made a kid pan of cookies...

of which NONE went to the neighbors.

Thank you, Mema, for making special memories and delicious cookies.  :)

Christmas Lane

One of our annual traditions is heading to Christmas Lane. 

There's not a whole lot to it...other than thousands of Christmas lights, popcorn, cotton candy, a train ride, and Santa.  Now that I read that list, I suppose it is every kid's dream. 

 Clare developed an unexpected shyness with Santa, but Isaac didn't hesitate to tell him that he wanted CARS.  In fact, he told him about five times. 

Clare eventually shared her extensive list: Papa Smurf

Yes, that is the ONLY thing that she asked Santa to bring her this year.

Daddy and Myles did their best to steer clear of the crowds.

After several futile attempts to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time, I resigned.  I have a feeling that Isaac is going to be our consistent stinker when it comes to family pictures.

This candid moment was how we ended the night.  Phil almost ripped his arm off to catch it on camera before the fleeting moment slipped away.

 This was how we started the Christmas season, 

so there are a few more Christmas posts to come.