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Christmas 2010 Highlights

I love it when life gets so busy, I don't have time to blog!  ;-) 
It means we're living the high life!!

Or at least, we're so busy living, I don't have time to document it all.

So I'm going to hit the high lights!

 Our annual trek to the best lit house in the neighborhood.

(Austin, left.  Logan, right.)

 Being "them."

(Austin, blue. Logan, red.)

 

 Posing for a quick Christmas card photo! 

Well done, boys...er, men,...er males!

Whatever - it was a great picture!

(Mason, Austin, Logan, Evan)

 Poor first time attempt at a Ginger break house with bff, Anna from school.

Regardless of the final product, what. a . fun. day!

(Logan, Anna, Austin)

Nonnie stayed with us last weekend (because of snow) and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! 

LOVED having her here with me!

(Austin, red.  Logan, blue.)

 An inpromptu and much loved visit with Princess Mira and her beautiful family!

(Logan)

 Another fun visit with the much-missed other half of our quartet!

(Van, Austin, Zak, Logan)

A Christmas Eve car nap!

(Logan, left.  Austin, right.)

Nail biting shepherds!

(Austin, left.  Logan, right.)

 Christmas Eve service

(Evan, Amanda, Gary, Austin, Nonnie, Mason, Lory, Logan, me)

 Some more Tacky Light tour fun with Evan and Amanda!

 Daddy reads The Story - and as he asked a lot of questions,

we were all surprised at how much the boys knew!

City of David, Shepherds and Angels, swaddling cloths and all!

(Logan, left.  Austin, right.)

 Brownies and milk for Santa!

(Logan, left.  Austin, right.)

And then, insert BIG photo gap for Christmas morning,

cuz after waking up 5 times during the night

and asking if it was Time to go Open our presents YET?"

Logan snuck down on us while we were still trying to get dressed and "ready."

It was a quick scramble to grab him back upstairs for a moment

so that we could  synch up Austin!

Our video tape footage begins with Gary on the floor

wrestling two boys until I could get the camera on and then he let them loose! 

Later, I was able to snap off one or two blurry pics of them:

 Football uniforms were the BIG gift this year!

(Austin, left.  Logan, right)

 Mason and Lory!

 Nonnie and Aunt Patsy - beautiful ladies!

Austin's favorite part of Christmas was

"Giving out ALL my presents!"

This year's dollar store gifts were awesome.

A coffee mug for Dad (from Austin).

A HUGE wall poster of Disney princesses for Lory and me (from Logan).

 A brick mansion covered in snow,
"It's Radford University, for Evan." (from Austin)

Dueling nerf swords for their big brothers!

And a('nother) hat for Uncle Mitch.

Merry Christmas!!!

From my Family to Yours!

Mitch, Patsy, Logan, Nonnie, Amanda, Evan, Lory, Mason

Me, Austin and Gary!

Dad's party!

Every year, Dad closes down the restaurant early so that everyone can spend some time celebrating together.  Gary's staff has been around for a long, long time - so it's more like an extended family party! 

Austin wanted to dress up for the big event.

He chose his outfit (on the left) to look like Daddy

And of course, Logan followed suit!

 Don't they look so handsome!?

Logan helping Daddy prepare one of three "Balloon drops"

The kids getting their instructions about the balloon drop

and being told about all the cool prizes and money inside!

They were sooooooooo excitted!

These girls (sisters) kept up with the boys for HOURS!! 

Silly face shot!

Back to the Manger

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

How many licks....

 Or rather, how many "clicks" does it take Mommy to get a "shot?"

Or does she just give up and post the silly ones!?

;-)

(Austin is in the red.  Logan is in the blue.)

Wordless Wednesday...a day late!

 

Logan and Daddy

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

My mom and her mom made three of these advents calendars for
my brothers and I to help countdown the
INCREDIBLY long days leading up to Christmas!

Me and my brother Mitch, hanging the LAST ornament on the tree. 

Woot-woot - must be Christmas Eve (circa 1974?).

Notice my little brother, Brian in the picture frame!

 I have always LOVED these calendars!!
They totally represent Christmas for ME.

Even as a child, I was amazed at the details and the wide variety of tiny treasures!

I thought about bringing them out last year.

(Yes, we've kept them ALL these years!)

But, I was really nervous that Austin and Logan would loose a lot of the ornaments!

However, this year, as my two are fully embracing EVERYTHING Christmas

and asking daily/hourly/every SECOND if TODAY is Christmas...

they are just PERFECT!

(Logan, left.  Austin, right.)

Santa Past and Present!

 Christmas 2007!

;-)

Not exactly "Santa-fans!"
(Logan, left.  Austin, right.)

  Christmas 2008

Lots of dry-runs with Santa.

They loved him.

'Cept come picture day, this picture captures the exact moment of,

"Nobody said nufin 'bout no STINKIN PUPPETS!!"

(Logan, left. Austin, right.)

Christmas 2009

They loved Santa even more and the puppet-phobia is a thing of the past!

(Logan, left. Austin, right.)

We were having somuch, we took a "bonus" picture for 2009!

One of my all time favorites!

(Logan, left. Austin, right.)

Christmas 2010!

LOVE it!

Love them!

(Austin, left.  Logan, right.)