Christmas 2012

Well Christmas 2012 has come and gone and so has the month of December. I was off this month, and while I am a bit more relaxed and rested...I've certainly been kept busy with these two little ones! Before Christmas, my mom and sister came for a visit. It was nice to see them and have them witness all the fun things Ben and Julia are doing these days. It was also quite nice to let mom get up with Julia in the middle of the night, while I got some extra sleep! :) Thanks, Mom! When they arrived, they brought presents! So we celebrated Christmas a little early with them...because it's hard for an 18 month old to wait for presents (that's right, it was Ben who couldn't wait ;). 

Our tree (and yes all the ornaments are at the top...I'll give you three guesses as to why!)

with presents from Chicago! 

 I actually got Ben to sit still long enough to get a photo!

Opening a gift

 Ben and Julia sitting in their new chairs from my grandparents

Notice the cookie in Ben's hand to get him to sit still!

 My mom also brought a ride on horse from when she was little...Ben wasn't too sure about it, and was still a little small to climb on by himself, but we got a few cute photos!

Ben on the horse with that cute smile

 

 Of course Julia had to try to, with Aunt Kaelin's help...But Ben didn't like the hat, so he wasn't going to let Julia wear it either! I love how she is just looking at him like "What's wrong with it?"

 Julia with MeeMaw

 I love this picture and Ben's smile! Notice, we bribed him with a cookie again!

 Aunt Kaelin with Julia

 Aunt Kaelin with Ben...holding him down so he can't run off! :)

 

Our Christmas Morning

 

So this year, Eric was working days on both Christmas Eve and Christmas...BUMMER! So on Sunday, the 23rd - we decided it was a good time to celebrate Christmas. Santa came while Ben took his nap! :) Santa brought Ben and Julia their very own kitchen set! :) We also set up the table from Grandma Sue. It was so fun watching Ben this year...I am sure he didn't get the whole Santa thing or even that it was Christmas, but the joy in his face at seeing new toys and watching him use his imagination to play with his new toys have been so fun! The other day he was at his kitchen and putting things in the cabinet and microwave and making the signs for "eat" and "please". He was also saying "Eat" and "Nice" because when I do the "please" sign, I tell him to ask nice. :) So sweet! Anyway, I digress...we wanted to capture the moment of his first Christmas "morning" so I had the video camera rolling when Eric brought him down from his nap. It's a small clip - about 2 1/2 minutes. :)   Christmas "Morning" Video

Here are a few photos from our Christmas!

Ben sitting at his new table

 Loving his new dinosaurs!

 Candy in my stocking? Can I really eat this??

 Yummy - Reese's Christmas Tree!

 No Candy for Julia this year, but a book and some headbands are nice!



 Ben having a snack with his T-rex

 Isn't she cute with that bow on her head!?!

 And even cuter asleep in daddy's arms!?!

 And we started the tradition of special Christmas Jammies...I tried to get ones that kind of matched

They both have snowmen on them! :)

And I just love the way Ben loves to hug and kiss Julia, always so sweet.

 And here is the best family photo we could get...Julia's not happy, but hey we are all sitting still!

 

We hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! We are looking forward to all the excitement this year will bring as Julia starts crawling, walking, and talking, and Ben learns to talk even more! Who knows...there might even be some potty training happening this year! 2012 was a busy year as we have watched Ben grow so much and we welcomed Julia into the world, into our family, and into our hearts! Next Christmas is going to be a blast as we watch both of the kids get excited about the decorations, the lights, and of course the new toys they are sure to get!