Santa Clause Came To Town

Christmas was wonderful! We spent the holiday at our home with Chant's sister Jen. She came Christmas Eve and stayed till Sunday. We spent Christmas Eve preparing for Santa Clause to come. We baked and frosted sugar cookies. There was enough frosting to cause a heart attach, but they were delicious!


Then we spread the reindeer food outside for Rudolph and his friends. In keeping with tradition the kids got to open one present Christmas Eve, their new PJs.

Christmas morning found me again lying awake in bed waiting for the kids to come in. They were up and ready to go at 6:30. We ran down the stairs and headed for our stockings. Ainsley was thrilled to see Santa had left her a pair of headphones for her video game. (The side is decked out with purple sequin stars.)

All the kids got Pillow Pets. Brinnley got a unicorn, Ainsley a monkey, and Porter a mini horse. This was the one thing that Brinnley constantly asked for. And she was thrilled when she saw it sitting next to her stocking.
After looking through our stockings, Chant and I lead the kids into the kitchen where Santa had left one more surprise. There set up in the corner was a two-sided easel, one side a chalkboard and the other a dry erase board. Brinnley screamed and jumped up and down. They started coloring pictures right then. It continues to be a hit and the kids are always coloring on it.
We headed back to open presents. This was Porter's big gift. He got Woody, complete with a pull string and hat. When Porter got the paper off and saw that Woody was inside, his eyes got all big and in an awed voice said, "Woody!" While we were working to get Woody undone from the cardboard Porter hugged the box to himself and stared at the picture of Woody on the back. He was thrilled that Woody came with a hat. If anyone tried to touch him he gave them a lecture. "MINE!"

This was the one thing that Ainsley wanted. She had been asking for the Calico Critters Dalmatian Twin puppies since the beginning of November. She also asked Santa for tiny wood to make bunk beds for them. Lucky for us and her Santa just brought the bunk beds already made. She played with them all morning.
Jen got the cutest scares and the most darling slippers ever. She was behind the camera most of the time so I didn't get may pictures of her. But as you can imagine, Christmas with her was a lot of fun! Thanks for coming and sharing it with us Jen!
The kids got a Playdough set and several hours were spent at the table. Jen made awesome masks for the kids. And she taught them how to make ice skating rinks. They had so much fun. Christmas was a success and we even talked about why we celebrate Christmas several times, so hopefully it wasn't all about gifts. It truly was the most wonderful time of the year.

Christmas at the Williams Home

Christmas Eve in their new jammies
Christmas Morning waiting for Dad to get the camera before heading to the living room
The girls both got FurReal Friends puppies. They bark and wag their tales when they are petted. As close to a real dog as we are going to get for a while.
Opening his 10 pack of cars.
Ainsley is into puzzles right now. She got 3 new ones to keep her occupied for a while.
Hannah Montana costume. ($0.88 at Claire's on clearance!)
Ainsley's new cape Grandma made.
Brinnley's cape
Foamy dots that Grandpa got us. The girls had a lot of fun with them.
Porter got this awesome track from Aunt Kristy and he started playing with it and didn't stop for 45 minutes. The big rug is a garage sale find I have kept hidden since June.
Ainsley got her own guitar, blue even. She is awesome on it! SO excited for her "guintar"
I think Porter looks ready to head off to Hogworts. Makes me want to reread Harry Potter just looking at him.
Brinnley got a new Leapster and 2 new games. I have never seen such a big smile as she had when she played it for the first time. She was thrilled and caught on so fast. It is going to be amazing!
Super Why friends (Wonder Red and Princess Presto) from Gran
Mulan and Jasmine from Opa and Oma

And I got a beautiful necklace courtesy of Chant and a beautiful handcrafted watch from Mom. I am listening to my favorite tunes right now thanks to Margi and Kristy and Jenny.
Chant rolled in the shirts and ties and movies this year.
And we got a fondue pot from Grandpa Gene and Tammy that I cannot wait to bust out.

It has been a wonderful day here relaxing and playing with our new treasures. Thanks family for the wonderful gifts. Even though we are missing everyone, we have had a pretty good day! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Christmas with Kids

I have always loved Christmas. The lights, the music, the yummy food, the presents, t0im1 with family, and the spirit of the season. But I must say that all those things are that much more exciting and special when you have a child. This year was especially fun because Brinnley was old enough to understand what was going on. She has been looking forward to Christmas since Thanksgiving when we got our tree and saw Santa for the first time. Everything was exciting to her. Even getting seven pairs of socks in her stocking was a thrill. I love my children and cannot imagine life without them!