Christmas Eve {Christmas Part 2}

We always spend Christmas Eve with Hubs's family. Bowling is our first tradition! We look forward to it every year. Mac loved bowling at the beginning and would dance after he would throw the ball, but after two turns all he wanted to do was play the video games and we wouldn't let him until he was done with his game. He pretty much had a bad attitude most of the day, silly kid.

Oak and Uncle L

Cousin A and Oak.

This picture makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it!! This picture pretty much sums up Mac's attitude lately, hahaha!

There is just something that makes me smile when I look at a pile of shoes this big. I love getting together with family!!

There are I think 22 of us who try to fit in this room with presents for at least 22 people. It is crazy madness and it is awesome!

The newlyweds played Mary and Joseph.

Pay really close attention to Mac in the rest of these pics. Oh my! He was having a rough night!

Mac was doing this while everyone else was getting ready to do the Nativity.

My niece Mak and SIL J.

My super adorable nephews.

Mac just needing a little love.

The angels.

Observing the Nativity

They aren't yawning, they are singing.

We had just gotten done singing a song and I think Oak thought it was time for prayer.

Mac doing his own thing.

Daddy trying to dress Oak up.

Still needing some love.

Finally Mac was being a little less grumpy.

Well almost, haha! Traditional family pic with a very cute pouty Mac.

Watching for Santa.

Watching for  Santa some more.

A little concert.

Me and my cute man.

FINALLY Santa came!!

Mac wasn't really sure what he wanted this year. But Santa had a hunch that Mac would like a marble track.

Oak got a baby stroller from Santa. She LOVES it!

Mac did have alot of fun helping hand out presents. It was really cute. And I spent most of the time freaking out because Oak wanted to be down in all the chaos and I was terrified that she was going to get trampled or knocked over and crack her head open.

When we finally went home late, Mac wanted to sleep in his new sleeping bag in his bed. Isn't it cute??! I have been wanting to get him one and didn't want a "character" one and finally found this. He really loves it!

OUR little Christmas...{Christmas Part 1}

We like to have our own little Christmas since the rest of Christmas festivities is spent with our families. So Christmas Eve Eve is really our Christmas Eve. We get Mac all excited about there being presents under the tree when he wakes up and stocking filled with goodies. Santa doesn't come then, because Mommy makes sure Santa knows that we want him to come to Grandma Cammy's house Christmas Eve night.

(We actually didn't really talk all that much to Mac about Santa this year. We left it to when he would ask about him. Also Mac didn't really have anything he REALLY wanted like in previous years, so we didn't really push it. Hubs doesn't like the thought of lying to Mac about Santa, but I am trying to keep him alive as long as possible without lying to him.)

Anyway, our night started out with carolers from the local high school basketball team. Oak loved it while Mac hid.

Then Hubs and Mac decorated the ginger bread house that we have had sitting there for awhile. Mac had been begging to do one since he had seen one at Preschool. We bought a kit and when we opened it up it was broken, so Hubs fixed it and then we just had to find the time.

Love how Oak is sneaking candy!

Eating frosting, yum!

The finished product.

Ah! I can't believe how big he looks in this picture!! I am still in shock that he is four years old already!

We layed out the wrapped presents and stuffed the stocking the night before. I got up early and turned the Christmas tree lights on and Mac woke up not long after that. He came running into our room and was so excited and kept telling us that there were presents under the tree and we had to go look. It was so adorable!!

LOVE this pic of my two happy kids in front of the tree.

Angry Birds puzzle!

Teaching sister how to unwrap presents.

Now she is getting the hang of it.

Ta-Da! Oak's gift to Mac.

Mac picked this gift out for Oak with a little help from daddy.

Hubs insisted we get Mac some Moon Sand which turns out is much messier than play do, oy!!

Reading books from Great Grandma Gerry.

I almost forgot to talk about the gift that Hubs gave me! We decided that this year we wouldn't spend any money on each other and make something that was thoughtful. Daddy and the kids did end up getting me a laser level but Hubs made me the sweetest little coupon book for some pretty awesome things like him cleaning the house, date night, a night to myself, a foot or back rub, getting me a treat, making dinner. I really loved the thought and effort he put into it. I actually spent a little money on his to buy a frame, but his gift was a framed picture of him on his dad's shoulders (which is awesome) when he was a toddler and I will add to the frame a picture of Mac on his shoulders when I get a good one. Mac's favorite thing to do his be on his Daddy's shoulders when we go somewhere.

We got Oak a little diaper bag and Mac a sleeping bag. They both love them.

It was a very fun morning and I really love doing our own little Christmas before all the craziness.

Christmas Prep...

December seriously went by in a flash. I swear it was just Thanksgiving and now it is just about New Years. YIKES! And even though I am way behind on this I wanted to document it anyway.

The first Saturday in December we went and bought lights for our house and put them up for the first time. We don't have a ladder so Hubs "MacGivered" himself onto the roof of our house to get them up. Unfortunately we were short a strand and it took me a week to get another box then it took awhile for Hubs to find a few minutes in daylight to get the last strand up so most of December they were never turned on. A few days  before Christmas Hubs finally found the time and we were able to have them on for a few days at least.

Later that day we went to the tree farm to find our Christmas tree.

I am not a fan at how manicured and full Noble Firs are now a days. I prefer my tree to look a little "Charley Brown-ish". But oh well!! We did find one we liked. And thankfully it wasn't pouring down rain like it was last year. It was cold but so sunny and beautiful!

Cutie-patootie!!

Mac supervising.

Instead of waiting for the gator to come and help us haul our tree back, Hubs and another guy who didn't want to wait, hauled our trees together with each holding a tip and base of each tree. It worked nicely and we got back to the shed pretty quickly.

We got it home and in the house and the kids LOVED decorating it.

We ended up putting our Super Yard around it for the rest of the month and she would play with what she could reach, so we were still putting ornaments at the top of the tree. It ended up being heavily decorated on top and very little on the bottom. Good thing there is pretty much only one year in each kids life that you have to worry about them playing with the tree too much. And now we are past that year, yahoo!!

Mac was obsessed with Christmas trees having stars on the top. And he would get pretty worried if we saw one somewhere and it didn't have one.

(Funny thing about me posting this today is that I took our tree down today and threw it on the back deck. As much as I love to decorate for Christmas it is just as nice to get it all down and have the house nice and uncluttered.)

Four generations...

I am so excited to have gotten these!! I was able to get four generation pictures with Mac when he was little and now I was able to get them with Oak. This makes me so SO happy!! (I have also been lucky enough to get a four generation picture with Oak and her birth family.)

Merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours!!

BIRTHDAY BOY on his BIRTH DAY!!

We had a special day planned for Mac! He had wanted to go to Build-A-Bear and even had a bear picked out he wanted to make so that has been part of our plan for his birthday for awhile now. Grandma and Grandpa were willing to come and watch Oak so that we could spend the day with JUST Mac. He woke up to balloons in his room, and next year I will make sure to get more balloons so that it covers his floor.

Opening and playing with his present from Grandma and Grandpa. More Lincoln Logs, which he really needed. He is quite good at building houses with it, if Oak doesn't come and destroy it.

There was lots of playing around with the balloons and Daddy taught Mac how to launch the balloons. Oak loves to rough house so she was all about getting balloons launched into her face.

Mac "helping" Daddy make his cake. He wanted to help, but didn't want to help at the same time. Haha!

On our way to Build-A-Bear.

(Side note: Mac's favorite thing to do when we go places with Daddy is be on is shoulders. This isn't the best picture and I want to get a better one, but I just got an awesome picture of Hubs on his dad's shoulders at about the same age and I am going to frame them together and give to Hubs for Christmas.)

The lady helping Mac make a wish for his bear.

Cleaning off his bear. After he did this, he was done with the whole experience and wouldn't pick out and outfit for it.

Filling out the info for the birth certificate. He named his Camo bear, "Soldier"

We let him eat Cinnabon for lunch. And then we headed to the movies. We went and saw the Smurf movie, which was his choice. We thought it was really cute, but Mac's attention for it wasn't the greatest since it wasn't really a cartoon like his smurf movie at home.

After the movie he wanted a ICEE so we headed to Target. Then we let him pick out his birthday present at Target. He picked out a haunted pirate ship thing for his Thomas the Train track he has at home.

Then we headed home to eat Pizza for dinner. Between pizza and cake Hubs and his parents went to a funeral for a lady in our Ward. So Mac had to patiently wait for them to get back to do cake and presents.

Mac really wanted a chocolate, Monster cake for his birthday. We found some pictures of some online and Mac picked one out that looked similar to this one. Hubs is very creative when it comes to baking and he did such an awesome job with making it cute and fun. Mac LOVED it!

He is so stinkin cute! We put the 4 candle in the the mouth like the monster was eating it. Mac thought that was funny.

Opening presents from every one.

This picture makes me laugh! He was totally pouting!

He had seen a preview on another movie we have for the movie Wall-E a few months ago and has been begging to watch it. I didn't think he would really like it so we have never gotten it for him. For some reason he has been more obsessed with it lately so we decided to break down and get it for him for his birthday. He opened it and wanted to watch it that very second, and we told him he could watch it after we got everyone cake and ice cream to eat. That was not ok with him so he was pouting and throwing a fit over it. haha!

He did get to watch it that night, and he LOVES it! It is actually a cuter movie than I remember it being.

We asked Mac what his "high & low" (something we ask each other when we talk about our day)was for the day and he named off a few things for his "high". When we asked about his "low" he said, "I didn't have a low!" Made my heart happy that we were able to make his birthday a fun day for him.

Also, the rest of the night, after everyone had left, he kept on asking "who else is coming over to give me a present?" It was really funny!

This video is not long after he woke up. We put balloons in his bedroom before he woke up. I just bought one bag of 25 and I should have gotten a few bags because it didn't cover very much of his floor, haha! But he loved it!!






We didn't have a formal/friend birthday party for him this year. But we were able to have both of his grandparents for cake and ice cream. Hubs made the cute cake, Mac wanted a chocolate, monster cake.