We arrived around noon and Grandpa read the Christmas Story from Luke 2.

My family always opens gifts one-by-one. I was wondering how Little Bug was going to do taking turns opening gifts, but she did great waiting for her turn. Grandma and Grandpa gave her Word World DVDs! She is so happy to have “neeeeew shows”!

Little Bug gave her Grandpa a picture of the two of them in the mountains with their walking sticks. Little Bug did this last year too and now it has become a tradition.

Mimi and Papaw left a present for Little Bug when they were here for Thanksgiving. It was a shopping cart. Uncle helped her put it together. Little Bug was thrilled with this because her grocery cart had broken a long time ago.

Uncle gave Little Bug Moon-Doh. It is like play-doh but with a different, softer texture. They had so much fun playing with it together.

Sweet Pea was sleeping while we were opening presents, so when she got up we opened her stocking at Grandma and Grandpa’s house with her. To avoid overstimulation once everyone arrived, I brought her out just to feed her and take a family picture and then I put her in her swing in my parents’ bedroom where she played with some toys until her next nap. Again, I hated for her to miss out on all her first Christmas festivities, but it was what was best for her this year. And we still made some special memories with her.

I kept thinking about last Christmas and how we surprised everyone by telling them that we would be welcoming another baby come July 2011. Sweet Pea was that little baby!

My family on Christmas Day!

We planned Christmas Dinner for 4pm. We had a ladies table and…

a table for all the men.

After dinner, we opened present with Dave’s family. Aunt Amanda gave Little Bug a pony with lots of accessories. It came with a  hair dryer and Little Bug has carried that around since she got it! She had to go get it and take it with us to the bathroom to dry her hair last night! She didn’t want me to turn on the real hair dryer because she was convinced her (toy) hair dryer would dry her hair!

Grandma decked Little Bug out in all things princess! She gave her a castle, dress up outfit and princess shoes. She hasn’t taken the shoes off since Christmas!

Dave’s family on Christmas!

We are very blessed that both of our families get together for one great big Christmas celebration every year!

It was a wonderful Christmas Day celebrating the birth of Jesus with our families!!!

- Elaine