New Year's Eve at our house

We are spending New Year's Eve just playing. Jeff is at work so I am seeing how long the kids can stay up! =) It's 9:30pm and they are still going strong. I think Madeline is hyped up on Christmas candy!
We can hear the neighborhood fireworks starting already but I'm voting that we skip the black eyed peas and hog jowls! =)

This is Matthew saying "CHEESE!" ha ha. He did it every time I pointed the camera at him. (He is in bad need of a haircut but that was such a huge disaster last time I'm scared to take him!)

Still loving her Nintendo DS

After a full day

Madeline is going this week to Holiday Camp at the local Y. They swim in the heated pool every day and in addition to that this particular day they went to IJump. The equivalent to Pump It Up. Needless to say she was worn out by the time she got home. This was a far as she got before she fell out.

Sweet Little Man

Almost all of Matthew's pictures now are action shots. He is rarely still unless he is asleep. =) He is Mommy's Sweet Little Man. This is him running down the hall to me to get hugs. He did this about 8 times before he moved on to something else.

Meet our new Nintendo DS

As the previous post mentioned, we didn't see Madeline a lot after she opened the Nintendo DS. Engrossed does not adequately describe how she is with this new gadget. Take a look at this timeline from that afternoon/evening.

Here we start around 6:15pm- still playing the DS. Now keep in mind it was opened that morning from Santa.

Made it to the couch with a blanket.... this is around 7:00pm.

Does she look like she's moved to you? Me either, yet this is another hour later.

had to go looking for her around 9:00pm, found her in bed with a bag of chips, Capri Sun drink and the Nintendo DS.

And still playing, this is close to 10pm. She was forced to quit and go to bed but the DS was put on her bookshelf so she could play in the morning when she woke up!

Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Day festivities started bright and early that morning. Madeline of course being the first one in the living room to check out what Santa had brought.

Matthew loves any kind of ball, at school he plays with kickballs a lot. These two were just the right size for him.

Miss Priss digging in her stocking.

Silver sequin shoes from Justice were right up her alley! How did Santa ever know??

lip gloss, lip gloss and more lip gloss.

Santa brought this baseball set for Matthew. He hits the ball around the stick with the bat and the crowd cheers!

Aunt Nancy opening her stocking.

Jeff and his Mr. Rude stocking stuffer.

Madeline asked for 9 Auburn shirts on her list to Santa. Hope she was ok to just get one! ha ha

Taking a break from present opening.

Matthew got a lot of the soft Tonka trucks, and luckily there were no duplicates. He likes to push these oversized ones around on the floor.

This retro wooden hammer/peg set was a big hit with him.

Leapfrog Globe.

Ah, a Robert Pattinson calendar for me to use at work. I looked high and low for one of just Edward Cullen pictures but there is no such thing yet. This one will do nicely.

Lollie sent Madeline a Madame Alexander doll, she has now been named Holly.

Vtech piano from Lollie was a hit with Matthew.

Madeline playing Santa....

whatever could this one be....

a Nintendo DS! She was soooo excited. Daddy finally gave in and allowed her to have one. This one was from Santa of course.

we really didn't see Madeline much after she opened the DS....

Aunt Nancy got her a pink/purple spider lamp for her room- just like she wanted! It looks very cool in her room!

Aunt Nancy got a wedding shower album.

Lollie gave Matthew a baseball set that turns into a T-ball set. He had fun with this!

Toasting with our cool and handy Cokes in the cute little round bottles!

playing with all the new stuff. Bristle blocks were liked a lot too!

Madeline made this for us at school, very cute!

my new purple netbook. Me likey!

.....still playing with bristle blocks. (Jeff got all the teeny pieces out before Matthew was allowed to play.)

Lollie's doll came with a matching outfit for Madeline. She insisted on going to get her white tights on so they could match even more! What a great idea- thanks Lollie!!

Holly and Madeline.

Christmas Eve & Madeline's first communion

Madeline had her first communion Christmas Eve at the candle light service. She was such a big girl going up to the altar to receive her communion.

Group photo outside the sanctuary.

Aunt Nancy made it down in time to attend the service with us.

Then we went back home so Aunt Nancy could start on the sausage balls, Madeline and I could do the Christmas cookies for Santa.......

and Jeff started the jambalaya. We wanted to do something a little different for dinner this year!
Jeff makes great jambalaya!

Nan, Madeline and I left the boys at home and went to see Dee for Christmas that evening.

Matthew is not too sure about the snowmen who play loud music and dance......

but Sissy has no problem dancing to them so he warmed up!

And here is is dancing to them too!

Frosting the cookies for Santa.

Here she is leaving out the cookies and carrots. She didn't want to do just one reindeer this time. Of course the reindeer have to have the 'real' carrots with the green stems, not the cut up baby carrots in the bag. =) Last year she wanted to leave a carrot for Clarice, Rudolph's girlfriend. When I was little I always wanted to leave mine for Comet who was my favorite. =)

Santa came! Santa leaves some things out unwrapped and some wrapped. Here is Matthew's pile.

And Madeline's. And yes, she did ask for a Nerf shooter. Go figure.

Mine, Jeff and Matthew's stockings.

Aunt Nancy and Madeline's stockings.

Evidence that he really did come!

And more evidence out in the yard that the reindeer ate their carrots!

Madeline's holiday decorations on our door.

so pretty.