I also got to snap a few pictures of all the blessings left by Santa before they were ripped into by the little ones. I got all the trees turned on and coffee brewing before I heard "Mommy!" come from the bedrooms. We had to wake Cooper and he was not happy at first...until he realized WHY he had been woken up... We all gathered on our bed and Claudia read the REAL story of the very first Christmas from her Bible. We listened intently as she told us about the baby Jesus who was born as common as an animal but would save the world and become the King of Kings. After Chad had led us in prayer, I managed to get ahead of them for a first-look shot. Our sweet Claudia was a little shy at first and Cooper was full of life from the beginning...so typical for those two! They were blessed with so many wonderful gifts and they were both so excited to look at each one and squeal with delight! It made their mommy & daddy smile from ear to ear and brought us so much joy to see their excitement!
Santa never forgets Spencer!
Sleepy but excited!
Claudia was all bundled up in her blanket.
Cooper loves to play with the barn in my classroom. He says his is a "baby barn" b/c it is plastic and has more cartoon like animals. He has been asking for a real barn set for a while. He was delighted with this one!
He got an Auburn belt to match his daddy! In fact, he had quite an Orange & Blue Christmas this year!
Claudia was all bundled up in her blanket.
Cooper loves to play with the barn in my classroom. He says his is a "baby barn" b/c it is plastic and has more cartoon like animals. He has been asking for a real barn set for a while. He was delighted with this one!
He got an Auburn belt to match his daddy! In fact, he had quite an Orange & Blue Christmas this year!
This sweet girl was so thrilled to get her heart's desire...her very own camera! I can't wait to see all the pictures she takes with this one.
Spencer was very excited to go through his stocking. He was especially fond of all the treats left for him!
It did not take Claudia long before she was snapping tons of pictures of her baby, Spencer.
Cooper and Claudia were both thrilled with the air hockey table Santa left for them.
Cooper also got a set of Auburn football players and a field. This delighted him immensely and entertained him for hours. He immediately found his #2 and could not believe he has a Cam!
In keeping with our tradition, all 6 of the grandparents came for breakfast. I was so busy trying to get breakfast put together and served that I did not get any pictures until right before they left. Before they left, we gave them their new calendars for 2011. They loved them! I think I am hooked into making calendars for the rest of my life because they drop many unsubtle hints letting me know in no uncertain terms they expect calendars on Christmas morning! Sadly, I deleted the picture and since I had taken forever to get all the pictures loaded, I don't have it in my to do it again.
Spencer was very excited to go through his stocking. He was especially fond of all the treats left for him!
It did not take Claudia long before she was snapping tons of pictures of her baby, Spencer.
Cooper and Claudia were both thrilled with the air hockey table Santa left for them.
Cooper also got a set of Auburn football players and a field. This delighted him immensely and entertained him for hours. He immediately found his #2 and could not believe he has a Cam!
In keeping with our tradition, all 6 of the grandparents came for breakfast. I was so busy trying to get breakfast put together and served that I did not get any pictures until right before they left. Before they left, we gave them their new calendars for 2011. They loved them! I think I am hooked into making calendars for the rest of my life because they drop many unsubtle hints letting me know in no uncertain terms they expect calendars on Christmas morning! Sadly, I deleted the picture and since I had taken forever to get all the pictures loaded, I don't have it in my to do it again.
Later in the day, I again found Cooper playing with his football game in his room...I am so glad Santa brought this gift!
Claudia got an art easel at MawMaw and Poppa's house. As Chad and I settled in to watch Christmas movies, the kids had so much fun playing with all of their new things. I loved watching her paint. Claudia loves doing anything crafty.
The air hockey table has provided many opportunities of fun and a great deal of heated competition.
Spencer was dressed as an elf for Christmas. He was cute! He loved having us at home all day and he especially loved hanging out on Daddy's lap all day. One of our favorite things about Christmas day is getting to be home all day. We used to have several stops to make on Christmas day but once Claudia got old enough to want to be home with her new toys, we stopped going anywhere on Christmas day. We stay in PJ's all day and just enjoy being together. Chad and I drink lots of coffee or apple cider, the kids play with everything, and we just soak in every second of being together with Claudia and Cooper. If I let myself, I could be sad thinking about how very quickly they are growing up and changing. Instead, I try as hard as I can to just enjoy watching them and burning all of these memories in my heart.
I know I already posted about our white Christmas but I had to include this picture. This is what made our Christmas even more special.
We braved the Christmas snow and headed to PawPaw and Nana's house. After we got there, we got a huge laugh out of Sam and Mikie. They strolled in decked out in Christmas sweaters they had stayed up until 1AM creating. You just never know what these two will come up with!
Sam and Andie are keeping her niece and nephew for a while. They are cute and we all fell in love with them. Cooper said the little boy, Scooter, is his new 3 year old best friend. :-)
Our sweet Addison was so pretty sitting there waiting to open her presents.
These two were sitting on ready!
Andie's niece, Haley, was a little shy and really would not go to anyone but Andie...until Chad came into her world...she went to him and he fell in love. He helped her open her toys and he would have brought her home if Andie would have let him!
Cooper was his usual delighted self when he has presents to open...of course, he would have preferred to not have shoes to open but his mommy was very happy with new shoes!
Claudia got an art easel at MawMaw and Poppa's house. As Chad and I settled in to watch Christmas movies, the kids had so much fun playing with all of their new things. I loved watching her paint. Claudia loves doing anything crafty.
The air hockey table has provided many opportunities of fun and a great deal of heated competition.
Spencer was dressed as an elf for Christmas. He was cute! He loved having us at home all day and he especially loved hanging out on Daddy's lap all day. One of our favorite things about Christmas day is getting to be home all day. We used to have several stops to make on Christmas day but once Claudia got old enough to want to be home with her new toys, we stopped going anywhere on Christmas day. We stay in PJ's all day and just enjoy being together. Chad and I drink lots of coffee or apple cider, the kids play with everything, and we just soak in every second of being together with Claudia and Cooper. If I let myself, I could be sad thinking about how very quickly they are growing up and changing. Instead, I try as hard as I can to just enjoy watching them and burning all of these memories in my heart.
I know I already posted about our white Christmas but I had to include this picture. This is what made our Christmas even more special.
We braved the Christmas snow and headed to PawPaw and Nana's house. After we got there, we got a huge laugh out of Sam and Mikie. They strolled in decked out in Christmas sweaters they had stayed up until 1AM creating. You just never know what these two will come up with!
Sam and Andie are keeping her niece and nephew for a while. They are cute and we all fell in love with them. Cooper said the little boy, Scooter, is his new 3 year old best friend. :-)
Our sweet Addison was so pretty sitting there waiting to open her presents.
These two were sitting on ready!
Andie's niece, Haley, was a little shy and really would not go to anyone but Andie...until Chad came into her world...she went to him and he fell in love. He helped her open her toys and he would have brought her home if Andie would have let him!
Cooper was his usual delighted self when he has presents to open...of course, he would have preferred to not have shoes to open but his mommy was very happy with new shoes!
Claudia had some super cute clothes to open and goodness was she happy with every single item.
Daddy was sporting his red suspenders we had given him for his birthday. His suspenders make Connie crazy! I told him they did not match his shirt because it had an AU on it so we better get him some orange ones...and that just might send our Bama fan Connie over the edge!
Not long after all her presents were opened, Miss Claudia had already put on her new jeans and boots!
She also wore her new jacket for a very long time!
More fun once we got home with our air hockey table.
Cooper wearing his new PJ's he got from Nana and PawPaw.
The next day we had a sweet service at church. We didn't have a large crowd but it was a wonderful way to wrap up our Christmas weekend. After church, we went home and cooked a few dishes to add to the feast we were having at Juna's house. On Dec. 26th, we always celebrate the gift of new life God blessed Grandaddy with many years ago. This year marked the 12th year of having Grandaddy since his stroke. While his health has gotten much worse the last couple of years, we are so thankful God has allowed us to have him for 12 more years. We celebrate with a special meal. We usually go out but this year we cooked a traditional Christmas lunch. Claudia did a great job setting the table and helping put out the food. She is becoming a classic Southern hostess!
Daddy was sporting his red suspenders we had given him for his birthday. His suspenders make Connie crazy! I told him they did not match his shirt because it had an AU on it so we better get him some orange ones...and that just might send our Bama fan Connie over the edge!
Not long after all her presents were opened, Miss Claudia had already put on her new jeans and boots!
She also wore her new jacket for a very long time!
More fun once we got home with our air hockey table.
Cooper wearing his new PJ's he got from Nana and PawPaw.
The next day we had a sweet service at church. We didn't have a large crowd but it was a wonderful way to wrap up our Christmas weekend. After church, we went home and cooked a few dishes to add to the feast we were having at Juna's house. On Dec. 26th, we always celebrate the gift of new life God blessed Grandaddy with many years ago. This year marked the 12th year of having Grandaddy since his stroke. While his health has gotten much worse the last couple of years, we are so thankful God has allowed us to have him for 12 more years. We celebrate with a special meal. We usually go out but this year we cooked a traditional Christmas lunch. Claudia did a great job setting the table and helping put out the food. She is becoming a classic Southern hostess!
I am constantly amazed at how God has blessed us. This Christmas was precious and we were blessed beyond measure. Chad lost a schoolmate on Dec 23rd. She was 36 years old and leaves behind two children. I could not get her family off my mind. We have to savor every day because we are not promised tomorrow. I am so thankful for my family and every moment God gives us together!
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