Christmas

Side note: I'm writing this post while munching on some cookies I didn't bake during our Christmas tree decorating day but felt the need to bake tonight.  Actually, I forgot about them until I cleaned out the frig tonight.  I love chocolate chip cookies! :)

This Christmas we went to Nashville to spend Christmas with James' family.  It was a great time!  The drive there was an overnight drive in which James drove the whole way- and only hit the rumble strips once! :)  I was sleeping, as best as one can in the car, and sat straight up at the same time saying "My turn to drive!"  He, of course, won't let me. No pictures of that fun trip but O and J(he is going to be S is this post since there's a cousin J) had a blast with their cousins!  It had been a while since we had been out there so this time I think everyone had more fun playing since O and S were older.  I thought I got pictures of the kids playing but I didn't.  Maybe Aunt Kim did and will share some with me.  Here are some from Christmas morning:

Cousins A and J waiting to come downstairs Christmas morning

Bikes!  O and cousins A and J received bikes.  Cousin S was showing J how to use his. :)

Daddy and O looking in her stocking

O playing with her doll an accessories.  She pretty much didn't need to open anything else.  She loves her "babies!"  S really did like his barn and animals despite his face. :)

 I like this picture because I took it and I'm behind S! Maybe I should take more pictures without looking! :)

S and Grandma Sharon opening gifts.  O is showing off her "rain, rain, go away" doll. :)

My family has a "tradition" of sorts of making sure almost all of the wrapping paper is balled up and thrown at someone on Christmas morning.  I guess O picked this up because she is throwing tissues paper at S(who is loving it!)...

and Grandma Sharon.... and me!

 S loves Christmas trees!!  He will be sad if I ever get around to taking ours down. :)

 The girls showing off their bikes!

Cousin J received a ton of Lego sets for Christmas.  So here's a picture of Uncle Bill putting one together.  I think about every adult put one together except me!  Not sure how I got out of that one! :)

I was upstairs when this "hat fest" started so I'll tell you what I was told happened.  Cousin S came down with the hat she is wearing and said something like "James, I bet you can't pull this hat off as well as I can" and then more and more hats came out and this picture is the end result.

The drive home was during the day so we made a couple stops to break it up(and make the 9 hour drive an almost 12 hour drive).  Our lunch stop was at a mall and this was the Santa picture place, minus the Santa.  It was probably good that Santa wasn't there anyway because I'm sure my kids would have cried and O would have just been afraid of "Noah" from that point on. :)

 The next pictures are ones of a Christmas present I got as a regift on Christmas day.  James' brother's family received two sets of these so we were given one.  It was Star Wars pancake molds!  I'm not a huge Star Wars fan but I thought it would be fun to make funky pancakes.  Here's my first attempt at Darth Vader and Yoda.

 Here's the back side. It kind of looks like they have some type of skin disease but they tasted good!

There also was a storm trouper but I didn't get a picture of that one.  It didn't turn out so well.  Too detailed and his forehead fell off.  I'll keep practicing.

Well, that's one Christmas blogged... two more to go...