Merry Christmas!

We got back home from Christmas in Kansas on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. We got the car unloaded and that was about it because it was time for our Christmas Eve festivities. Katelyn was so excited for Santa to visit our house that the whole drive home she kept asking when it was going to be dark and when could she go to bed so Santa could come. It was so cute!

After dinner, she wanted to go right to bed. (Funny how one night out of the year kids can't get to bed fast enough!) I really want to start the "writing a letter to Santa" tradition, so we did that this year. She wrote that she wanted a doll house, doll car (??) and then some Barbie stuff. We tried to explain to her that you don't get everything from Santa that you ask for. (Santa wasn't bringing the doll house here; Grammie and Pops had gotten that for her and she wouldn't get it until Thursday). At the time that I put it on her list, she wasn't really even asking for it, but by the time Christmas rolled around that was all she talked about. If I would have known that was the one thing that she REALLY REALLY wanted, we would have had that for her on Christmas morning. Oh well!

Letter to Santa

And she kept tracking where Santa was all evening long. She looked a few times on my phone when we were driving. I love all these "tracking" sites. So cute and makes it all the more realistic!

And then it was time to leave some cookies and milk for the big man! She had received a letter from Santa a few weeks earlier and he had mentioned that by the time he got to her house he was always hungry and thirsty so be sure to leave him some milk and cookies! That she did!

Sitting next to the tree.

Notice Tricksie in the background. He was sitting close to the cookies and milk so he could hitch a ride back to the North Pole! Seems like he had a good month with us and got to do some sight seeing too. Katelyn is ready for him to come back next year!

Then Daddy read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and it was off to bed she went. (I was hoping Will would be able to partake in the festivities too, but he just couldn't hang. He had to hit the hay! Maybe next year he'll be able to make it longer!)

Santa came!!

"Santa"...I mean Jack playing with the toys before the kids get to them!

And then it was finally Christmas morning! Katelyn didn't wake up early, about regular time....7:30. She was so eager to tear into the gifts!!

She had to help Will a little....well, actually, a lot! He did his usual one rip and he was off routine.

"Look what Santa brought me Mom!!"

His favorite gift was probably the xylophone though. Of course he loved the mallet....it was just the perfect chew toy!

Santa brought Katelyn lots of Barbie stuff

And Will got an activity cube.

Daddy got some new NASCAR gear.

And just like that Christmas was over at our house! It takes so long to get everything ready...decorated, bought and wrapped and in no time flat all that is left is a pile of torn wrapping paper! Will did love the pile of trash though, as we all predicted! This was the first year that we were able to spend Christmas with OUR family of 4, ON Christmas Day and in OUR own house!

This Christmas was so much fun because we started lots of new family traditions and I look forward to the upcoming years when Will is old enough to partake in all the fun with Katelyn. They are going to be so magical! I love how Katelyn serenaded us nightly with Christmas songs that she had learned from her wonderful preschool and that she learned more about the real reason for the season!

I hope you all had a great Christmas with your loved ones; I know I sure did!!

Christmas in Kansas

We headed to Wichita right from Springfield on Friday. It was nice that the trip was 1.5 hours shorter! When we got there on Friday afternoon we went to the mall to see Santa since we hadn't made it for a Santa visit just yet. We were all betting that Will would not be a fan, but he was as calm as could be. He just sat there and looked at him. I'm sure he was quite curious where in the heck he was but he sure didn't protest about it! Next year will probably be MUCH different!  Katelyn told Santa that she wanted a Doll House for Christmas.

Friday night we went out to dinner and then drove around for a minute to look at Christmas lights. There is a street that has been name "Candy Cane Lane" and all the houses are lite up big time! From what I've heard, if you sell your house, the lights stay with it and the new owners are required to put up lights. We drove through last year and I think there were even more lights up this year. There were Party Buses and Limos cruising through as well. I can't imagine all the work involved in getting it up and down each year.

Then on Saturday, we opened presents. This photo op is a classic in our family. When my brother and I were little, we would have to sit at the top of the stairs and get our picture taken. We both thought it was like torture because we could see either big boxes or bikes or whatever Santa had left for us sitting there at the bottom of the stairs but we couldn't get to it until Dad took this stupid picture. Well, now I understand! I wanted that picture too and will try to do it every year we are there for Christmas as well! Fortunately, there was nothing big sitting out that Katelyn was dying to get to, so it made it a bit easier.

And then a picture in front of the Christmas tree before the opening started.

Digging right in!

And Will playing with his new tow truck that Uncle Matt got him.

This was about as excited as he got with the opening. He'd rip one spot and then crawl off to play with something else.

And Katelyn was always at the ready to help anyone who asked for help with the opening!

And afterward, all the opening was just too much for Will. He was pooped! Daddy even caught a small cat nap too!

She built (Well Mommy did most of it) her new Cinderella castle from her duplo blocks that Uncle Matt got her!

We went to church on Sunday morning and then had Christmas dinner before Matt needed to head back home to go to work on Monday. Such a bummer! And of course we couldn't get undressed from our church duds before snapping a few pictures!

Kids with Grandma and Papa

A new family picture!

And one with Uncle and the kids

Then on Christmas Eve, we headed back to Missouri to have our first Christmas with just our family of 4!! We had a great visit and Christmas in Kansas but the time always goes too fast!