Round 4:The day...are we over this yet?!?!

Okay...we're almost done with all four rounds of Christmas!!!  Hip Hip hooray!!!   

We are really taking advantage of being a marriage couple with no kiddos....  Although we would be overly excited to have a family right now, it isn't in the cards for us yet......  so,  we are "living it up" by sleeping in until 11:00 on Christmas day.  Seriously!!!   We woke up several times and kept saying...maybe a few more minutes of sleep...then we watched the morning news...but by the time we got outta bed it was 11:00.  We may not look well rested in the pictures...but we clearly had plenty of sleep the night before!!!!

We started off by opening our stockings:

 I started making lunch and I let it cook while we opened our presents.  There is no way we could have left these gifts under the tree for more than a few hours..... Ollie would have then torn up!!!!   So, we kept them all in our hallway closet and pulled them out right before we opened them!!  Any ideas on how to keep curious kitties out of presents...or out of the Christmas tree for that matter!  

 I have a weird obsession with green...Oh, I love anything green!!   I have a few accents of green in our kitchen already.  My sweet hubby bought me 4 cast iron green pots!   Gorgeous!   Okay...start sending me your cast iron recipes...please...I don't have any!!!!   He also got me a recipe book so I could put all my new recipes in an organized spot. (I haven't ever used these kinds of pots before...help...ideas?!?!)   Good thinking!!!

 The pots are so heavy...  I can't wait to use them!!! 

 I had to post this picture.  Our furbabies were seriously hovering over us all morning!  They were crawling in the boxes, eating the wrapping paper, and pouncing around.  I know it's nothing like kiddos on Christmas day...but these are our babies for now and they make us sooo stink'n happy!!

 We had dripping roast beef sandwiches some chips and dip for lunch.  To be honest, it isn't my favorite meal but every time I see the recipe...it looks so good.  Then I make it and....well,  I'm never that impressed.  Hello?!?!  Stop making it then, right?!!!   The Mr. loved it so it was all worth it!    What is lunch on Christmas day without A Christmas Story playing on TV!!   Oh, how I love A Christmas Story!!!

 Later that night we met up with my momma.  We had a yummy dinner and opened up some gifts.  We chatted for hours....I also got to spend time with my lil' tater tot.  It was a great way to end the Christmas hustle and bustle.  Check out my momma's Christmas tree...a palm tree with lights...so fun!!

 I thought it would only be appropriate to end this post with our little Grinchy.  See any similarities?!?!

  I am so thankful to have so much family to celebrate with during the holidays. 
With that said,  I'm over the holiday posts....    I'm ready to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year ahead.  I love seeing all of your Resolutions for 2012 and it makes me want to get motivated...motivated for what?!?!  Not sure yet...but I'm getting motivated and that's a step in the right direction!!!

Round 3: The mall tradition, pj's, and a kitty fountain

Round 3: We celebrated Christmas Eve with The Mr.'s momma and brothers.  Each year we follow the same "mall" tradition!!!  It is so much fun!!  We all write a color and texture on a piece of paper. (ex: orange and shiny) This year we picked black and bumpy.  Then we all pile into two cars and head to the mall.  There is a time limit to go find a white elephant item that meets the criteria. (and it has to be $20 or under)  I found a great little black and silver speaker for an ipod.  We wrap our gifts when we return back to the house and then we draw numbers.  I (of course) drew #1 and picked this little stress ball.

 It's luck of the draw.......    Sometimes you pick an awesome gift and sometimes it's really silly.  The Mr.'s older brother passed out the "real" gifts and we all started opening!!!  My sweet hubby took pictures most of the night....I barely have any with him and his family!!!  OOOPS!!

 Momma K just opened her new sheets.....they were so flipp'n soft!!!!!

 Momma K loves to spoil and that's just what she did to me!!! 

 My MIL and I both have a soft spot for holiday decorating.  When I walk into her home for holidays I always go to her dining room table and see how she has decorated it for dinner.  It's always amazing...

 We got home a little late that night but out knew we had to stay up and follow our own tradition of opening up our pajama gifts.  The Mr. got Dallas Cowboy pj's....

 I got polka dot jammers!!!!   I wuv these!!!

 We couldn't go to sleep with out letting our little furbabies have one more gift.  Are our kitties the only kitties that love water?!?!  We took Ollie boo swimming in our pool this summer  (he loved it) and our Chewy girl can't get enough running water.  If she hears us turn the faucet on and brush our teeth she will go wild to get a little sip of the running water.   So.....   we bought them a water bowl with a fountain!!!!   Perfect huh?!?!

 I love that my husband is giving each kitty a "lesson" on how to drink out of the bowl.  They are a little frightened by the fountain.....    we just need time and they will love it!!!!  They better love it!!!

Whew...Round 3 guys....only one more Christmas celebration to post!!!!  I love hearing about your traditions and gift ideas....don't be surprised if you see your ideas on here next year!!!!

Round 2: country christmas

Here is Round 2 out of 4!!!  My dad invited us to stay the night with him last week.  We packed up the car, drove through some twisty roads, and settled in for a night of football, food, and presents!  Time with my daddy is precious. 

I filled my tummy with ribs, corn, twice baked potatoes, and mac'n'cheese. (Now that I am thinking back about all of our Christmas meals....we never ate ham or turkey....note to self: find time to make these soon so we can have leftover sandwiches since that is my f.a.v.o.r.i.t.e part of the food!!!)

After our bellies were full we settled in the living room and passed out gifts.  Oh my I received the softest slippers and blanket. (You better believe I have both of these on while I type this!!)  

 I'm so glad I snapped this picture.  The Mr. and my dad both got pajama pants and they were so happy.  We had to take a quick break from all the gift opening so both of them could change into their new flannels. 

 Later in the evening my hubs showed off one of his extremely weird talents.  I think he gives all the credit to being so anxious while watching football games.  He had turned the tip of a candy cane into a sharp weapon....geez...  when I tried to take a quick taste of the candy cane...it practically stabbed the side of my mouth.  Watch out!!!

When we returned from my dad's we decided to give our furbabies a gift.  They could smell the catnip coming from inside the wrapping paper. 

 Highlight of our evening--watching our Ollie boo turn into a hissing evil kitty.  The catnip made him wild!!!!

 Our other little paranoid furbaby sniffed her toys and hid under a box.  She was freaking out!!! 

I know...we're horrible for using this as our amusement.    Stay tuned for two more Rounds of Christmas pictures!!!!

Round One: a wedding, gingerbread, tackiness, and little ones

Round One:

A Wedding.

We met a family 2 years ago on our honeymoon and have stayed in touch with them since that time.  We even went on a cruise this summer with our "trip fam"!  Their beautiful daughter tied the knot at a gorgeous hotel a few weekends ago and we were so thankful for the invitation to help them celebrate.  Isn't meeting people on vacation so much fun?!?!

Gingerbread.

The Mr. and I decided to throw a "gingerbread house making" party for our nieces and nephews.  (we also have an amazing family that comes along with the kiddos as well.)  We set up an area of appetizers to graze on and them we served tomato basil soup, grilled cheese bites, and salad for dinner.  The kiddos brought our home to life!!!  We made a gingerbread town....each family made a different type of house.  It was so stinkn' cute!!!!

Oh, break my heart....our sweet nephew wasn't ready to leave at the end of the night.  His face says it all. 

We snapped a quick family picture in front of our tree.  It is what it is....  my silly husband and our battling kitties!!!!

 Tackiness.
I work with the greatest group of girls EVER!!!  We decided to spice up the last week of school before Winter break by wearing a tacky holiday shirt e.v.e.r.y day.  I seriously got more compliments on my outfits by kiddos than ever before.  So hilarious.  We had a p.j. day and snapped this picture of our "TEAM MEETING"!  Oh yes...they are always like this.  ;) 

We also gathered for a tacky sweater dinner and ornament exchange.  Take a look at my (non-tacky..might I add) ornament!!!   I just love it!!

Then it was time for our Awkward Photo shoot!!!   Sit back and enjoy ......

We got so many looks while we enjoyed our dinner out on the town.....     Some people gave us the stink eye and some people laughed.    The conversations at our table were epic.   We made some great memories together!!!

 Little ones.
We, like many couples, come from blended homes...which means 4 separate Christmas celebrations.  We had our first Christmas with the lil' ones.  The joy on their faces was priceless when they opened their gifts and when they gave gifts to others. 

 

 Each kiddo got the spotlight and opened their gifts one by one....we would all "Ooooh" and "Ahhhhh"!!! 

 You can't go wrong with snowflake mugs.  I can see many cups of hot cocoa in their future...

 Notice the packing popcorn covered the floor.  The kiddos went crazy with this stuff!!!!   The small things....

 These lil sweeties give us so much love....              I decided to give them a Cindy Lou Who hairstyle for the evening!!!   They were so tickled and kept checking out their hair in the mirrors. 

We have 3 more family celebrations before the new year arrives.  Lots of family, food, and memory making!!!  The hubs and I are also going to take a few days and spend some one on one time together...watch movies, wrap gifts, cook, and finish up our shopping.  I love spending school breaks at home, lounging around, and snuggling with my kitty babies.  Keep an eye out for Round 2, 3, and 4 of our Holiday posts.

Recap and Deck the Halls Prep

Recap:

To start---I can't eat another bite of Turkey!!!  (Until Christmas, of course!!!)

The Mr. and I stayed a few days at my dad's house to start the Gobble week off.  It was filled with cooking, eating, watching football, playing with his new kitty (named "kitty"), late night laughs, and watching Bait Car (dad likes watching the criminals get caught!).  Not to mention a late night leftover turkey sandwich. 

The best memory from that visit was going through old pictures with my dad and listening to his "growing up" stories.  He was such a string bean.   I also left with a treasure: his safety patrol certificate from grade school!   Go dad...safety first!!!

These little furbabies were at home waiting on us....    and we were naughty and gave them a tiny piece of turkey.  Oh sweet Georgia.....it's a whole new world.  Maybe not the smartest move on our part.  :)

We also celebrated my MIL's belated b-day on the actual Thanksgiving day.  How cute is my SIL?!?!  She did the "sock bun" in her hair...love it!!!  She has a blog that any fashionista would go crazy over.  (She finds the best deals/sales!!!)  Check it out here!!!

 We had such a wonderful time being together....except for the kidney stone that hung around for 6 days of my Thanksgiving break.  I spent many hours curled up on the couch with a heating pad...so here is my "Everything is fine" picture with the hubs!!! 

 Well, don't think some ole kidney stone is gonna stop this girl from getting her grub on while sippin a mimosa.  
In all seriousness, my MIL goes all out when she decorates here dining room table.  She always gives me a lesson at the end of the night on her china, crystal, and silver.  I love hearing all the stories that go along with each set. 

 She even put together a Turkey Day contest and passed out prizes for the winners.  Round #1: sidewalk chalk turkey.   Oh my....   this is a creative bunch.   I mean, can you imagine seeing 10 adults standing outside racing to make the most plump and perky turkey.  Sadly,  I draw like a teacher.....not too many bells and whistles.  :)

 Round #2:  Popsicle Pilgrims and Indians.  Of course we, the girls, followed directions. 

The Mr. and his brothers are a little more artsy than the average bear.  Teeheee..that craft made us laugh until we cried.  

 For Round #3: We drew a Thanksgiving picture and listed all the things we are thankful for....   We are saving the pictures for next year's decorations...so I'll get a picture of them in about 12 months.  :)  With all these crafts you would think the house was filled with kids...nope,  I'm the youngest participant...at the ripe young age of 29. 

 After so much family fun (and couch recovery time for me), we spent our last night out with friends. I love sitting with the girls and hearing their holiday break stories.  I also loved getting some out and about time with my favorite guy.

 Then comes the American tradition of bringing on the season!!!!  This was an all day affair.... with lots of music, glitter, lights, and warm memories. 

 The hubs always takes care of the outside while I obnoxiously decorate the inside.  When the sun goes down we have a Griswold moment and my Sparky flips the switch.  The house can be seen glowing from space this year....amazing.