Christmas Dinner 2011: BOTH Families Together!

Uncle Ben always sneaks a funny face into at least one picture!  Ha!

And the mantra for this evening would be:  "Leia, play with your La La Loopsies, ... Leia, play with your La La Loopsies!"

Christmas Morning 2011

 We always start Christmas morning with a picture on the stair landing (in honor of my late best friend, Karin Faulkner), ... and with that tradition completed, it was time for the excitement and the joy of Christ's birth!  Birdies, barrettes, squinkies, and zoobles galore!  Biggest surprise of the morning:  the girls' favorite gifts seem to have been the pony/barbie hair/makeup sets! This would be the beginning of the girls' love of hair fashion. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

 

Christmas Eve Night 2011

 This year, the girls requested that Santa put one present on the end of their beds.  Annie even got a new "birdie" quilt.  AND both girls got their Polar Express tickets stamped.  Leia's said "Be Holy" and Annie's said "Pray."  Oh, Saint Nicholas, you smart saint, you.  : )  As you can see, Santa came! ... and it's the Christmas of squinkies, zoobles, legos, and birdies.  : )

Christmas Eve Dinner: The Grove Park Inn

 Oh please, PLEASE let this be a new Christmas Eve tradition!!!  The prime rib buffet at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville!  The whole family together after Mass, ... looking at the national gingerbread competition, ... and the themed Christmas trees (and yes, Annie found a "birdie" one ... peacock theme).  : )

Our Angel & Lamb: Children's Christmas Mass 2011

 It was so special to see Annie as our little lamb and Leia as a beautiful angel perform at the Children's Christmas Mass on Christmas Eve!!!  The girls were SO proud to be a part of it.  (Leia: "Can I be Mary, Mamma?  Can I be MARY?!?" Annie:  "Can I be a bird, Mamma?  Can I be a Christmas Bird!?!")  A couple of funny things that happened both involved Annie.  First, Mamma spruced up the the lamb costume given to us, ... unfortunately, the fleece I added wasn't glued on quite as well as I thought.  The result was that Annie was a SHEDDING lamb.  In fact, she shed so much, that I had to go up after Mass and clean up the area around the altar!  Ha!  Second, at the last minute, Annie was told to stay with the shepherds when they went to visit the baby Jesus; however, she went RIGHT UP and knelt in front of Joseph!  Ha! 

Christmas Eve with Zachary ... & Chester