Christmas 2011

This Christmas was so much fun.  We knew we weren't going to be home for Christmas Day, but I wanted to keep with the Smith tradition and go ahead and put up at least some decorations.  Christmas was always a really special day in my family, as it is in most families I know!  So, I was planning on going to the storage unit we have, where we have a few seasonal things and pieces of furniture that don't fit in our apartment, and getting out our 7 ft. tree to put up, along with ornaments, our little village and such, when I got a call from a friend who happened to have a little Charlie Brown tree we could borrow!  Score!  **In looking back, I'm pretty sure I was out of my mind crazy to think we could actually fit our 7 ft. tree in our apartment with everything else we already have**

So, here is a picture of our tiny Charlie Brown tree, all decorated!  I absolutely LOVE it!  **It's still up and decorated with the lights and everything**

 The nativity scene below has been in my family for a LONG time.  I started helping set it up every year at my Grandma's house, the day after Thanksgiving, with my Uncle Doug, and continued the tradition until I moved to Dallas 9 years ago.  When my Grandma moved in to assisted living, there were three things of hers that I had requested to have, and this was one of them.  It represents a LOT of things to me, treasured family memories, a cherished childhood, love, and of course, the most important, the day our Savior was born!  I'm so thankful to be able to share this special tradition with my boys and look forward to keeping this  treasure in the family for a long time!

 Lights, lights, lights!  I LOVE Christmas lights!!

 Another great tradition that I started this year, was having Caleb help me make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for my best girlfriends and Aaron's Co-Workers!  I still see another batch in our very near future, they are my favorite!!

  We drove down to Houston on Christmas Eve and got in pretty late.  The boys stayed up for a tiny bit and then we sent them off to bed, and I got all the gifts from my side of the family set up under the tree.  We did the Smith/Preuss/Leacock side of the family on Christmas morning, and the Garcia family Christmas on Monday morning so that Omar, Vicki and their three boys could be there.  Here are our stockings hung by the fireplace!

 And of course, Christmas morning!  Caleb knew exactly where to go, and even looked for his name on the gifts before tearing them open.  Well, all but one!

 The full set up, all 11 stockings and the tree!  Love it!

 I didn't get to put up our little village this year, but Becky (MIL) has a FABULOUS village, much larger than ours, and she had hers set up!  This is only one side of it!

 Caleb and Asher diving in to the gifts!

 Caleb opening his instrument set from Grandma and Papa Preuss!  He loves it (and is actually drumming away as I write this post)!

 The boys in their matching Christmas PJ's!  LOVE this new tradition!!!!

 Asher just checking everything out! 

 Here we are Monday morning with the cousins opening more gifts!

 All the boys had so much fun together!

 Corbin and Caleb

 Josiah, Caleb and Asher still opening gifts!

 The four oldest boys (Eli is only 3 months old, so I'm pretty sure he was sleeping through all of this)!!

 Caleb is obsessed with puzzles these days, and he scored 8, yes 8 of them for Christmas!  We're still doing them multiple times a day!  So fun!!

 Asher and Josiah enjoying a mid afternoon snack together!  LOVE that they are so close in age, only 4 months apart! 

 My happy little boy!

 Corbin and Caleb, almost inseparable!  Seriously, they love playing together, and Corbin does such a great job of really loving on Caleb and spending time playing with him even though he's three years older!

Not to downplay Aaron's birthday by any means, but somehow I didn't get a single picture of him blowing out the candles on the cake I made him, BUMMER!!  We also celebrated Baby Jesus' birthday and made a cake for him and sang to both of them!  It was so fun!!

We ended up staying in H-Town for almost a week and had a blast all week just hanging out with everyone!  SOOOO much fun!!!  Can't wait to see Christmas next year holds in store!  Merry Christmas y'all!!

Be Blessed and Encouraged!