I'm about to unload some Christmas pictures on here. I've been off of work since Dec. 17th...living large with no schedule or alarm clock. Clearly I took a break from blogging, so it's time to document our Christmas happenings. First up was Miles' class party at school. His peeps at the blue table...
This is his buddy, Tyler. Miles says he's the only one that never gets in trouble so he watches Tyler to see what he's doing and then he does it too. Unfortunately, he must lose sight of him several times a week :)
This is his "friend" Adalyn. Miles was downright giddy when her name came up at our house recently.
We baked some sugar cookies...
...and made a gingerbread house. Sometimes I have to guilt the boys into making memories with me, but they both thanked me for it later.
We also taught Miles how to play Skipbo....
....and had a Nerf gun war per Miles' request.
On Christmas Eve, we went to Darrin's parents' house to celebrate with Darrin's immediate family in the morning and then his extended family in the afternoon. Miles, Ava, and Jayci...
We hung out for a little while and then it was present time.
Everyone racked up...
Darrin's brother, Aaron, and his wife, Jessica, were in town for Christmas for the first time in over ten years. We enjoyed their company so much. I'm plotting ways to get them to move closer to us.
We don't get to see Crystal and Steve as often as we would like, so it's always good to hang out with them too.
Of course we had to attempt pictures since all five cousins were together. Rowan wasn't having it.
As good as it got...
Siblings...
Miles has been looking forward to playing with Rowan for weeks. I was afraid that he didn't understand how little Rowan is, but he had a blast with him. Rowan has the cutest smile.
Miles and Jami drew each others' names. A big appreciative hug for his Lego set....
Looking over his Lego set with his cousin, Hayden. Miles was the first boy after Hayden was born 10+ years before him. There were many, many girls in between.
I always love hanging out with these two.
Darrin's cousins, minus Jessica who was working. They grew up very close to each other and still love to hang out.
After some cards, it was time to go home to spend time with my mom and get ready for Santa.
Miles got to open a gift from us and one from Marmee. Marmee's gift was a stuffed animal that he has been wanting for over a year. He saw it in a gas station and has talked about it ever since.
He said this one was a little different, but even better than the one he wanted. He said, "Thank you, Marmee, thank you."
After the reindeer food was sprinkled outside and the brownies & milk were set out for Santa, it was time for bed.
Miles slept in the guest room with my mom. He told her that he was having a hard time sleeping b/c he was so excited. Santa came during the night and left Miles a Nintendo DS. Since
Miles' list was near impossible, he had no idea was he was getting.
He was so surprised to see the DS...
This is a look of pure happiness.
He also got games, a puzzle, night vision spy glasses, and a football, to name a few.
The aftermath...
...and one proud little boy...
This is pretty much how he spent the rest of the day. Usage was unlimited for Christmas day only. Now we will resume 30 minute increments once or maybe twice a day. That's definitely what works best for him. Too much video game or tablet time always leads him down the wrong road.
It was another wonderful Christmas.
Tomorrow, it's back to reality. I'm not ready to hear the alarm at 5:30am, but going back to work is not a bad thing for me. Miles is out of school for one more week and Darrin will be semi working this week, but I think we are all ready for a little routine. Bring it on! Hope your Christmas was a happy one too.
