Christmas Day Continued...

I'm sure mama thinks that I have forgotten about Christmas at their house...

Let's see, I think we left off with Josh, Vicki & Grace waiting on us (as usual).

I think Christmas is one of my mama and daddy's favorite times of the year! Mama will run herself ragged trying to make everyone's Santa stack perfect. And there just isn't a way to explain my daddy's excitement. He is such a quiet, reserved man. He is totally different when it comes Christmas Day! He just loves it! Like a kid himself :) We should all be that way, right? They make sure that all of our piles of presents are the same size and I bet there isn't more than ten cents difference in everybody's total presents. They put so much thought into all of our gifts...that what makes it so special. They always have a breakfast spread that you wouldn't believe. I don't think we would have to eat for the rest of the day after having that breakfast! (But we do :) We still have to go to Nannie's :))

We got to mama's and we were greeted by Grace with this: "I got my own house and I'm moving in it. Mama and Daddy gave me 24 hours." She is just too much!

Carsyn slept through the first part of the gift-opening, but heavens knows we had to go ahead! There was NO waiting with Grace :) I have a rule that we have to go one at a time and I have to be last. Grace has to be first...that's her rule. (Remember that making it last longer thing that I like to do?) She would open one and when the next person would start, she would get her next gift and "start." That means she would get her fingers under a good spot to start ripping the paper off. The funny thing is...this is EXACTLY what her daddy has done for all of his years!

 

Grace got lots of things for her new playhouse! She also got a REAL digital camera and "cameracorder" :)

 

Carsyn is set with diapers, wipes, lotion and plenty of learning toys!

She fit perfectly in Grace's new baby doll stroller!

This picture seemed odd for a minute, but it need no rotation. Carsyn loves to get in this position...hanging off the end of my legs...

After we finished at Zizi and PopPop's, we got ready to go to Nannie and Papa's. Christmas up there is so much fun! There are SO many of us that we don't do gifts. Nannie puts together lots of bags with goodies in them and we all go to trading to make our bag full of stuff that we want. Some people really get into it! It's so funny :) Now, these pictures were taken at Thanksgiving, not Christmas. But, I wanted to give you an idea of what a "family gathering" at Nannie and Papa's looks like. Keep in mind that this is ONLY immediate family...

Nannie and Papa, her 3 kids, their kids and their kids :)

Nannie, Papa and their 3 -- Aunt Pam, Uncle David and Mama

 Uncle David and his family

Aunt Pam and her family

Mama and her family

Grands and Great-grands

AND.....for the grand finale!

Really...this was NEARLY impossible!!!

(Notice Daniel on the front row - 4th from the left. He just can't stop loving on Carsyn :))

It's so awesome to have a family this size that can ALL get together at the ring of telephone from the bosses (aka Nannie & Papa).

Later in the day, after we finished all of the Christmas gatherings, a diaper and clothes change made for a perfect photo-op! These were some of my favorites :)

I love those eyes!

That smile is PRICELESS!!!

:)

Okay...I think that's it...I think I'm done with Christmas!