Christmas Is Over….Did you survive it all?

My girls showing off their peppermint ring pops….We were all playing Cootie during the holidays. They Love that game!

 Christmas morning at our house was so much fun! Everybody arrived at 10:30 to open presents and do the big chaotic tearing open of the gifts!  It’s was a riot!  Johnny got a Kindle Fire.  I got a fancy, new Sony Cyber Shot DSC-HX100V  camera for taking blog pictures!

I can take video footage and right in the middle I can snap a regular picture! This Sony Cyber Shot is So cool!

It is like a DSLR but in clarity, but idiot proof and easy. It’s called a “bridge” camera. My favorite part is I turn it on and the lens cap pops off and hangs by a little ribbon. I hated carrying those.  I love it!

Christmas morning….waiting for the games to begin!

Tiff and her darling girls in sweater dresses….opening stockings….

Tiffany, my daughter, compiled a bunch of pictures of our family having fun this past year at different events and put them into a bound photo album…. I absolutely loved it…It made me start to bawl….in a good way….but you know I have that ugly cry….yeah…it’s not pretty at all!

This is way better than a photo album traditional style…nothing can fall out!

The little grand kids got pretty loaded up with fun loot.  Then we all ate a nice Christmas brunch... The girls got like 6 Barbies from the whole family…..hehe…

These two came early to help me out….I LOVE that!  So thoughtful!  Well ….Devin hates all the waiting….hehe….we made him wait anyway (excruciating!) ….Oh the torture of it all!

My hubs is really glad when Christmas Day is all over….he says….”The best part is when I take the last box down to the storage room!”  Can you believe that? Yeah…he doesn’t get into Christmas like the rest of us…he tolerates it all though…he’s a good sport…

Well, my son-in-law  loves it all.  And I love getting stuff for him too because he appreciates everything!  It makes it so fun for me to have people like that…it’s so fun to see him open stuff and make lots of comments about it….

Are we opening the presents yet?  Can we, can we?   A bunch of  big kids we all are…..

I took one picture before everybody got there…just to show all my hard work…buying gifts for …let’s see… 14 family members, 18 classroom kids, 18 sets of parents of 2nd graders gifts, coworker and office staff gifts, and boss gifts, neighborhood gifts, church people and good friends’ gifts, home teaching and visiting teaching gifts…It all adds up to a ton of people to plan for, buy for, bake for, wrap it all up for….So it’s like I can sit back and just enjoy myself on Christmas Day….by then all the food is cooked too.  WHOOP IT UP TIME!

Our doggie Brucie… nobody got him any gifts…… “What’s up with that? Where’s my denta-bone? Where’s my dog toys?”

And I don’t think he was that happy about it….”Hey, you owe me people….I keep this place guarded like a bloodhound…no…make that a DOBERMAN!  Where’s my pigs ears, people! Where’s my PUPPERONI?  What the HECK people! ”  It’s Christmas for dogs too DON’T YA KNOW?!

I stopped doing stockings for the adult kids starting this year…but I  still gave them each something fun to play with while we waited for everyone to arrive. Here’s Devin with his light up Wheel-O and his Slinky.  He’s just a big kid…face the facts…..

They got me some pretty Christmas placemats and a Mrs. Claus Nutcracker to add to my collection. They know what I like.

I LOVED how Caitlin did such darling package decor…I want to copy that idea next year….

She stamped everyone’s names on the packages….and added an embellishment….Cute!

Cute stuff!

Cute little red, glittery ice skate!  Some people got Coca Cola Bottles…great idea!

“Excuse me Grandma….Thanks for the Baaahbeees” and she showed me her little Barbie with the Tea Set…  I think she liked it….

.Everybody had fun….

My son’s family got me a collection of perfumes. I love perfume and I always have. I will play with them all year! Thanks guys for everything. I loved all of my presents.  And guess what I found in all the wrapping paper mess? A gift card to the Cheesecake Factory!  Yeah…..good thing I saw it and picked it out of the trash! Whew! That would have been tragic!

Sugar cookies…for all my little sweeties!  I enjoyed all my family  at the  breakfast table…We do have  lots of fun conversation together….I wish we’d had time to play some games….but we all got ready and went to church to see my church choir do the Christmas story and program all in songs…..it was very beautiful.

Strawberries and Oranges for the little kiddies….

We have a neighbor, Lee Rasmussen, who BAKES PIES!!! Yeah…I know…Where can I get one of those?  My husband can make pancakes…and hot dogs from the microwave.. oh wait….he does bacon pretty good too.  This guy seriously bakes crust and all and it is delicious! We were lucky and got a pecan pie gift from him.. What a super treat!  Thanks Lee!  You Rock!

My daughter-in-law  made everybody these cute cookies layered in jars all decorated up and the cute scrapbooked recipe was attached. I made mine up already and they were delicious! I love special things like that.  I will add a picture when I get a copy from my daughter who hasn’t gobbled hers up yet. They were darling and a great gift idea!

Fruits, breads and sweets…we had lots of candy and nuts to get rid of!

My Christmas morning table set up and decor….

It was a sweet day all around…it makes it so much more fun with little kids…I do have to  say……

Kitchen Island decor…..it was fun to light the candles…..

Cinnamon rolls before I iced them….I just used Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls from Costco They are easy…just lay them out 30 minutes before you want them….bake…ice and serve…Super yum!

Christmas Brunch Sausage Egg Casserole….Recipe is HERE at my blog Weekday Chef. You can see I added about a half cup of diced red pepper to it for some spicy crunch!

Neighbor gifts….I made spiced nut breads….

The little kiddie table….so sweet!

Happy Chaos!  I think everybody loved it.  I wonder sometimes ……Do the men of the family actually KNOW how much work we moms go to? I don’t think they have a clue….especially when all they see is the bills….but you know….I think wives deserve  a frickin’ GOLD MEDAL!

But maybe she didn’t get the toy she really wanted? hehe….

Grandpa and Grandma  came for brunch at noon…. I loved how their outfits were kinda matchy matchy.  They are both so darling looking!

Soooooo…….Here was our family Christmas shot…. for  2012

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope you got everything you wanted! (And if not….go buy it on sale tomorrow!)  Yup….spoil yourself….. Especially all those moms out there who do all the work anyway…Give yourself a little reward! That’s what I’d do….mmmhmmm….