More Christmas Eve Traditions......

I like to get the kids matching pajamas for Christmas Eve & Morning. Here they are showing off their PJs with Lita and Tia and then with Santa (Lito). I'm pretty sure this will be the last year that Lito will be able to "play" Santa. Garrett was pretty sure Santa sounded a lot like Lito. We're gonna have to hire a neighbor or friend to come over on Christmas Eve to play Santa....Any volunteers?

I always take a picture of the Christmas Tree once it's set up with all the loot. It always amazes us how much we have and how long it took to get it all put together and wrapped.

Christmas Eve Traditions.....

Christmas eve always consists of us taking a picture of the kids in front of the tree, going to my parent's house, making cookies, and now, decorating a gingerbread house. Here are some pictures of Christmas Eve 2007.

Notice Jake in the picture with the cookies? He's sad because he put way too many sugar sprinkles on his cookie. His spirits were lifted when he saw all of the candy we were using to decorate the gingerbread house.

Tamale Time.....

If you know anything about Tamales, you know that they are very popular around Christmas time. It is a tradition in most Mexican families to make tamales to give to friends and family. I remember making tamales growing up and I wasn't a very big fan of it. It's hard work getting the Masa spread evenly onto the husks.

Our family stopped making tamales years ago because it was way too much work and it was just easier to order them from the Tamale Lady. I'm not sure who brought it up this year but someone said, "we should make tamales this year". We all agreed to meet at my mom and dad's house and spend the evening making tamales. They weren't the prettiest tamales and my mom & dad kept arguing about how to spread the masa but it was fun hanging out with everyone and eating the finished product. Maybe we'll do it again in 2008?

Garrett, Jake, & Wyatt Christmas 2007....

Here is a picture of the boys and my best friend Sherry's little boy, Wyatt. We were forced to drive out to the boonies and visit their family last year for Christmas because she was on bedrest and couldn't leave her home. She knows I'm joking but I really don't like driving out to her house because it's sooooo far from town. But because she was on bedrest and 7 months pregnant, we made the trek out there and celebrated Christmas with them for a couple of hours. The boys love Wyatt, they especially love his toys. This year I'm gonna make her come to town to visit with us.

Almost Famous.....

This is my niece, Marissa. When I saw this picture I had taken of her back in December, it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous. I know it's a bit of a stretch because she really doesn't LOOK like Kate Hudson, but she DOES remind me of the character Kate Hudson played, Penny Lane. She's very stylish, laid back, spontaneous, and fun. Marissa personifies this character in this picture. She's has a lot of those traits and I know she'll be a hell of a lot cuter than Kate.

Christmas Village Train Set 2007....

Here are the boys watching the Chistmas train which is set up at my mom & dad's house every year for the kids. My parents love setting it up for the kids almost as much as the kids love playing with it.

My parents have always gone all out with the Christmas Decorations. They've become even more spirited since their grandkids were born and it's fun to see them having as much fun as the kids. You should see their front and back yard during the Holiday Season. My dad starts putting up lights right after Thanksgiving and he won't stop until Christmas Eve. He's a big kid at heart.

Trip to Grandpa & Grandma Laurie's......

Here we are again playing in the snow. After we had our fun we headed to Grandpa and Grandma Laurie's for a yummy dinner and relaxed at their cozy home in Sonora. Auntie Isis (Aaron's stepsister) came for a visit to play with the kids too. We all had a great time.

First Trip To The Snow......

Believe it or not we hadn't taken a trip to see the snow with the kids until December 2007. We had planned a day trip to see Grandpa and Grandma Laurie in Sonora. Along the way we found a snow patch and Grandpa and Grandma Laurie met us there for some fun in the snow. The kids were not shy about playing with the snow. It was as if they had been around it before because they sure knew what to do with it.

Gymkata......

We signed Marissa & Garrett up for a Gymkata class at the local Rec. Center in November/December of last year. Gymkata is a cross between tumbling (gym) and Karate. They had fun learning the different moves and techniques. Here they are at their last session where the parents got to come into the room and watch what they learned.

Baking Season.....

These pictures are proof that baking season was in full swing. I took these on December 7th, 2007. I usually start my baking at the beginning of December. The kids are always by my side to help with any "clean up" that needs to be done.

Christmas Parade 2007.......

Here we are at the annual Christmas Light Parade. Every year we decorate the kids' wagons with garland and lights and wheel them out to our designated spot to watch the Christmas Light Parade. We come prepared with a hot dinner, hot chocolate, and lots of cookies. The kids enjoy it every year and it's become a tradition that we all look forward to.

I can't quite remember why Garrett is giving me the look of death in the picture below. I think this was towards the end of the night and the kids were getting grumpy.