Merry Christmas 2018

My Favorite Christmas pictures 2018

We captioned this first one before we ever took the picture.  As soon as the horns went on, we said Papa was the cutest 'Wayne-deer' of ever.

This one was a spur of the moment picture.  Sadie and I went to finish our Christmas shopping together.  There were no little ones there for us to get pictures sitting on Santa's lap, so we went for it.

The next ones were taking at MeMe's Christmas dinner.  

Sweet girls right here...

This is my annual kids Christmas picture.  It didn't turn out very good there but I still love to look how much they have grown from year to year.  Man are they growing!!

This one is good because Molly had to get gifts for everyone herself.  She went to her room and found something special for MeMe, Trisha, and Kaye.  She picked out matching Barbies for MeMe and Trisha.  For Kaye, she picked out a special Pete the Cat book.  She wrapped them all by herself.

It was extra cute because she picked out Barbies with appropriate hair color for each.

I think they were a hit.

Our annual Christmas pajamas that MeMe got the whole family.

We were waiting for Santa to come.

Some sweet pictures of the standard -in front of the tree- pictures...

Merry Christmas!!

We did Christmas at MeMe's the day after Christmas.  MeMe and Papa had been coming to our house on Christmas Eve the past several years, but this year was a little harder because it was hard for Papa to travel.  So we went to their house.

My favorite thing at Christmas is to take a picture of the kids.  It is amazing to see how much they have grown over the years.  Some years there is a big change in some of them, some years not so much in some of them.  This year it was Spencer and Sophie.  They have really grown up over the last year!

Here is a little Christmas cheer:

Sophie got a new poloroid camera for Christmas from MeMe.  She loved it and was taking lots of pictures with it.  She then tried to charge me $1.50 for picture if I wanted to keep one.  I talked her into a family discount and got all of these for $5.00.  

It's always fun at MeMe's, Christmas or not.  We all ate too much and had a good time.  Sophie and Molly stayed for a short visit since school was out.  Oh how I wished we lived closer!

We got up Christmas morning at about 7:00ish.  Molly was the first one up and woke everybody up.  We checked out everything that Santa brought and headed to church.

(Every time we try to take a picture they always want to do a silly picture too.  This is more indicative of our life so it is more accurate.)  

I was shocked when Carter came up to us at church.  He and Molly matched perfectly!  We didn't plan this at all.  As a matter of fact, Molly changed her mind about her outfit three times before she decided on this dress.  It was the cutest thing ever!!

Sadie took this selfie in the car on the way to church or home, I'm not sure which.  This is definitely a personality picture. 

Then after church we went to my Daddy's for Christmas lunch.  Sophie and Andrew always enjoying hanging out.  I don't think either of them would say that out loud, but it's definitely true.  I can tell these things.  Molly and Abby are funny.  They spend most of the time being shy with each other and then when it's time to go they are sad because they just started having fun and playing with each other.  Surely they will figure that out soon.  

The weather was nice so the kids played outside after we ate.  It was wet but perfect other than that.

I always enjoy visiting with Kristy and her husband.  We always talk about why we don't do this more often.  I know it's because we all get busy in our own every day lives, but you would think we would make time.

This is my shirt that Sadie got me for Christmas.  It is the new "college" thing.  You purposefully bleach a good shirt and make it two-tone.  I made fun of Sadie's when she wore it home, but I am cool enough to pull it off and I actually really do like mine.  

Then Christmas night Cameron came over for a little while for his gifts.  He also brought Sophie and Molly a gift, which warmed my heart and theirs.  He got Sophie some hunting coveralls and Molly a tiara.  

Christmas Eve.....

My silly girls...

and their silly faces....

We opened gifts from each other that afternoon.  Molly's shopping this year was a little better.  From Molly I got a hair brush straightener.  She got Larry a camo hoodie; Sophie got a camo pullover; and Sadie got a purple hoodie.  She picked them out all by herself.  

Larry's Dad came over that evening.  He brought gifts and we ate pizza.

He left a little soft hearted because Molly started talking to him about her hand.  She told him how special she was and then started telling him about other kids that didn't have any hands or arms or legs or feet.  I could tell it got to him a little.  He later sent Larry a message and told him that Molly was extremely special and that it touched his heart that she recognizes that there are people alot less fortunate than she is.

He got Molly this Cinderella castle.  She was thrilled with it!  She likes to crawl in there and watch TV out the window of it.

Sadie and Sophie made this beautiful birthday cake.  When Larry saw it he told Sadie that she could make money doing cakes.  I would say he was a little impressed.  It was impressive.  The picture doesn't do it justice.

We did leave the cookies that the girls made and milk out for Santa.  Ella decided to pick one out for Santa I guess.  The girls said goodbye to Ella and got tucked in tight so Santa would come by.

This was a big year for Santa.  Molly is five years old and into everything Santa and Christmas.  She fully knows that we celebrate Christmas as the birth of baby Jesus.  She will even tell you all about it if you ask, but she this is the first year that she has really been into the whole Santa thing.  I'm sure she remembers Santa bringing stuff last year and she doesn't have to rely on everyone else's memory or stories and she knows what to expect this year.  So when Santa was going to be having pancakes and pictures, she was all about going!




Not only that, but she also knows how to pick out a real Santa from a fake Santa.  After the breakfast with Santa day, we were in Walmart shopping.  Molly caught a glimpse of Santa walking around Walmart and told me she wanted to go see him.  We went that way.  We got up closer to Santa and he started coming right to Molly.  She was checking him out too.  He walked up to her and said, "Ho Ho Ho.  Would you like a candy cane?"  He pulled one out of his bag.

Molly said "No Thank you."  Then we walked off.

Not even out of earshot of Santa, Molly said, "That's a fake Santa!"  I asked her why she thought that. She said that Santa has black boots - not brown.  Santa has white eye brows - not black, and Santa doesn't carry a purse!  She decided, on her own, that he was just one of Santa's helpers handing out candy canes, but definitely not the real Santa.


Sophie on the other hand...at eleven years old, has been questioning the Santa thing quite a bit.  The last couple of years she has heard it at school and has come home and asked me about if Santa was real.  I always told her that Santa is real only if you believe.  I thought that would cover me and that I wasn't lying to her, but I didn't want her NOT to believe because it is the magic of Christmas.  This year she asked Sadie about it too, so I know she has been having doubts, but then she would be so excited waiting for Ella the elf to come every year and that would blow my mind that she didn't question that but questioned Santa??

So then one day, Sophie tells me that MRS VERNA had gotten an elf on the shelf for her kids at the daycare.  She asked Sophie, "Do yall hide your elf easy for the kids to find, or hard?" Then on the same day or the next day, she told Sophie that her grandson Corey was going to play Santa for the kids Christmas party this year.  Sophie looked at Verna strange, (like Corey that I have known all my life is going to be Santa at the Christmas party??)  Verna told Sophie, "What? You don't still believe in Santa, do you?"

I don't know whose heart was more broken, hers or mine.  She told me about it.  I bit my tongue and told her that sometimes when you get old, you just quit believing in Santa and that I hope that she doesn't ever quit believing.
She has played along this year, but she didn't want to go to breakfast with Santa or to the Christmas party at Verna's this year, so I didn't make her.  Luckily, Corey couldn't play Santa at the Christmas party because Molly would have busted him out too because she has known Corey all of her little life, but that means I got no pictures of Sophie with Santa this year.  None.