Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 was wonderful!  It was Carter's first Christmas which made it so much fun.  This year Dawson LOVED everything about Christmas and was really excited and happy for the holiday to arrive.  It was also SO nice not to have to travel for the holiday!  We were able to go to all of our family Christmas gatherings AND spend Christmas morning and Christmas Eve night at our house!  It was great!!

We started the Christmas festivities with John's family on Dec. 23.  We had a yummy lunch and exchanged gifts. 

 

Here's Carter with Grandad!

Carter with his Nana!

Carter attempting to open his own gift.

Big brother decided to help!

On Christmas Eve the festivities continued

when we got together with my dad's side of

the family.  We always have a lot of fun on Christmas

Eve, and this year was no exception!

Lolly and Pop got all the boys these cool light sabers,

and they were a hit!  Dawson had a blast playing with

Corbin who is just 2 months older than him!

Carter with his Pop on Christmas Eve.

Dawson helping Uncle Logan open a

gift on Christmas Eve.

Two grandfathers help celebrate their

grandchildren's first Christmas.

Pop with Carter, and my Dad's brother, Gordon,

with his 6 week old granddaughter Hailey.

After we got home from the

Christmas Eve gathering, Dawson made

sure to leave cookies for Santa AND

Dawson and Daddy sprinkled reindeer

food near the chimney in the grass so

the reindeer would make sure to stop

Santa's sleigh at our house!

My two cuties in their Christmas Eve pajamas!

We had SUCH a late night on Christmas Eve

that we didn't get the boys in bed until 11pm!!

The next morning, John and I were about to

go crazy waiting on them to wake up because they slept

until almost 8!  Finally, I woke them up to come see

what Santa had brought!!

Carter near his pile of gifts from Santa

(clearly from the look on his face he

had just woken up!)!

He was thrilled with this musical

table!  Thanks, Santa!

Dawson asked for a soccer ball

and soccer goal from Santa.

He got it!  Here he is scoring the

first goal after we put it together!

Dawson and Carter checking out the presents!

Dawson also asked Santa to bring a bike. 

Great job, Santa!  Dawson LOVES it!

He was so excited!

My with my handsome boys on

Christmas morning.

After celebrating at our house, we drove over

to celebrate with Lolly, Pop, and Uncle Logan.

They gave Dawson and Carter a new desk.

It is double sided so both boys have a seat and

desk space now!  Dawson will be able to sell a

lot of ottomans from this desk, he said!  I'm

excited to have a space where they can both do art

as soon as Carter can sit on the stool! 

Opening more gifts at Lolly and Pops...

Carter really enjoyed the bags and

wrapping paper!  :)

After we celebrated with my parents and brother

(and Bentley), my mom's family came over.  We

had lunch, talked, and exchanged gifts.

Here are me and Carter with Mamaw.

Both boys with their Great Mamaw.

(Carter was getting pretty tired by this point,

so I couldn't pry the pacie out of his mouth!)

(Why do I always have on picture out of order?!)

Here's a picture of the boys both trying to open

more presents at Nana and Grandad's!

 

We had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Traditions: December Activities

Leading up to Christmas, we usually try to do one special thing each day in the month of December along with receiving an Advent gift.  I really like the idea of doing something because it serves to keep us entertained during one of the first months of cold weather when we can't spend as much time outside playing. 

We successfully did one fun, different, or new thing each day-and all but one were Christmas-related.  Dawson had a blast, and I enjoyed knowing we had a little activity for each day.  Here are some of the things we did (although not in order)...

 

Dawson built Santa's Toy Shop

with a little help from me.

Dawson made this Snowman ornament.

We saw Santa!!

Here's our sweet Carter opening

his first Advent gift!

One day our little activity was to

decorate this button Christmas tree.

Dawson loved putting them on,

and Carter loved taking them back off!

Each year Church Street UMC in

Knoxville has A Walk Through Bethlehem

where they convert part of their church

to look like Bethlehem.  Everything except

the large animals is inside.  Dawson enjoyed

seeing and petting these camels outside though. 

Inside the church they transform their fellowship

hall into Bethlehem by covering the ceilings with cloth

and lights to look like stars in the night sky, the

floor is covered with truckloads of wood chips,

stone, and hay.  Everyone is in costume.  There is a synagogue

where we attended a short service, and there are also

shops, merchants, storytellers, inns, shepherds, goats,

sheep, and a census form and box for everyone to complete.

We all really enjoyed this, and I think it will be something we

try to do each Christmas.

Dawson got to make this star out of clay

in Bethlehem.

Another day we went to Chickfila

for dinner and to make Christmas

ornaments with the cow!

(Dawson LOVES the Chickfila cow.)

Dawson and I made Christmas cookies!!

Here are some of the cookies we made and decorated!

Dawson enjoyed making them, AND

he especially enjoyed driving his John

Deere Gator to our neighbors' houses

delivering the cookies.

We also made this Christmas tree

cake and some gingerbread men!

(blue-eyed gingerbread men, at

Dawson's request!)

Dawson helping me mix frosting!

Carter enjoyed relaxing and eating

Cheerios in his high chair while

Dawson and I worked on the cookies!

One day we made this Christmas

necklace.

So fun!  One day our activity was to go to

Dawson's friend Colt's Christmas party!

Colt's mom made each boy (even Carter!)

these adorable gingerbread man aprons

with their names on them!  They got to

decorate cookies and play.  Dawson had

a great time, and so did John and I!!

We went to Chickfila to see

Santa Cow and Elf Cow one day!

Dawson decorated this Christmas

mug to drink out of!

One day's activity was to name this

door hanger.

Making gingerbread man pops!

The finished product.  :)

Dawson had fun!

Decorating our gingerbread tree!

Several time during December

we drove around looking at Christmas lights.

The Blount County Court House has

trees sponsored by different businesses and

groups on their front lawn.  Dawson had a

blast walking through these trees with us several

times!

This was our one non-Christmas-y

activity!  Dawson is always interested

in this when we're at the mall.  He was thrilled

to get to do it.  He was so brave, and

he loved jumping this high!

We had the meetup group over

for a little Christmas party.

The kids decorated cookies, did

some finger paints, and made

hand print ornaments. They also did

A LOT of playing!

It's hard to get a picture, but these

are the hand print ornaments they made.

Their fingerprints go up the sides

and look like cute little snowmen.

Dawson's ornament

This activity was more for me, but

I got their footprints and decorated this

plate!

Another day's activity as making these ornaments.

One day we turned this pine cone

into an elf!

Dawson made these two reindeer!