Christmas Day...continued

If you are still reading these Christmas posts, bless you!  This is the only way I know how to document everything without it getting too overwhelming and too lengthy.

After Santa came and DeDe, Peeps, BB and Eck left, we loaded up the care one more time and headed to Greenfield!

We ate too much...again.  It was all delicious!!

And Ellie opened MORE gifts!  Craziness!

Sweet cousins

Ellie and her MawMaw

More presents!

The kids drew names and received gifts from MawMaw and PawPaw and the adults played Dirty Santa.  Dirty Santa is always exciting at Blackman family Christmases!

Our last stop was at Maw Maw's house.  I think think this is stop number...7?  Whew!

We had lost our pants by this time...darn antibiotics!

All in all, it was a very busy, very delicious, VERY blessed Christmas for our family.  Our home is full of new "stuff" but I my main goal for next year is for Ellie to understand the real meaning behind why we celebrate.  Hope you all had a great Holiday as well!

Christmas Day!

Don and I have said since last year that from now on we were going to wake up at our house on Christmas morning.  Living an hour away from both sides of family is never easy, but that's the way it is for now and we try to make the best of it.  So after a wild night with the Young side of the family, we loaded up the car and headed back to Jackson.

We thought surely Ellie would pass out in the car on the drive home.  We were WRONG!  She was smiling, laughing, watching movies and talking non-stop.  She just could not wind down from all of the fun she'd had all weekend!

I made reindeer food for us to sprinkle out in the yard and we read The Night Before Christmas.  Santa almost didn't get any cookies and he had to settle for Oreos this year.  Santa told me later on that Oreos were fine by him, he didn't mid a bit.  By this time it was 11:30 and it was off to bed for Ellie so Santa could come!

Here is Ellie's stash from Santa!

Her 3 bigger gifts:  American Girl "Bitty Baby" with potty chair, Cozy Coupe Trailer, and My First Doll House.  She also got a few Melissa and Doug toys, a Fisher Price snap on Shih-Tzu, 4 new Disney Movies, and stocking goodies.

She wasn't sure what to think at first...

 But it didn't take long for her to warm up!

  Yes, this is me in no makeup and my glasses.

Crazy enough, she showed the most excitement out of her stocking stuffers!  Thomas the Train blocks and Thomas toothpaste.  She LOVES Thomas movies.  Who knew...

I hope everyone else's house looked like this on Christmas morning:)

Earlier in the week before we left for Memphis, I made and froze a hashbrown casserole and a pan of sausage squares.  DeDe brought strawberry bread and sausage cheese muffins and we had some yummy scones and muffins courtesy of Aunt Susan for breakfast.

It was so much fun to have DeDe and Peeps come to our house on Christmas morning!  I am hoping this is a new tradition we have started.

Later on, BB, Eck, and Mammie showed up to see Ellie!  They came bearing loads of gifts for all of us.  We all racked up on some great gifts.

Ellie got a tricycle!  She calls it "pedals".  She has been practicing and I don't think it will be long before she gets the hang of it.

It was a great morning spent in our home and it turned out to be a good decision on our part.  We still have 1 more stop...in Greenfield!  That post is next!

Christmas in Memphis...Part 2

Saturday morning, Christmas Eve we all slept in a little bit.  Ellie had gone to bed at 11 the night before so she slept until 9:30!  We all quickly got dressed and ready and headed to Granny's for celebration #2!

 Ellie got this adorable table and chairs set.  I just love it!  It is perfect for meal time, coloring, and feeding her babies.

There was SO much food.  Like 200 Chick-fil-a nuggets, Lennys, and 10 casseroles!  Granny said it just "grew".  It was delicious but way more than 8 people could ever eat!

Ellie also had a few more fun toys to open.  She has loved everything she received this year and I am just so thankful for the many people that love and spoil our girl!

After a fun time at Granny's, we headed home to put Ellie down and get ready for Christmas Eve service and the Young family Christmas.

We were either brave or crazy, but we decided to take Ellie into church with us.  She lasted a good 30 minutes before the talking and squirming began.  Don took her out twice and joined the rest of the Dad's roaming the halls.  She will definitely be in the nursery next year!

We took lots of family pictures this year and I am so glad we did.  We got some with all of my siblings and my dad, which I love!  I cannot remember the last time we all 4 were in a picture with him.  Poor Peeps, he looks squished!

Dad with his boys...

My sis Kelly, niece Reagan, Ellie and me.

 ALL of the girls

 

Dad with all 4 of us!

Ellie had a BLAST with her cousins.  She still can't stop talking about them.  It was a "monkey see monkey do" with everything Maddie did.

Matching PJ's...so fun, and not even planned.  Great minds:)  Maybe we could do this every year.  What do you think Missy?!?!

  Opening MORE gifts!

Loud and crazy, but lots of fun!

After a fun filled day, we headed home to get ready for Santa!  It was our first year to be at home on Christmas morning, and it was a great decision.  More to come soon...

Christmas in Memphis...Part 1

We rolled into Memphis around 5:30 Friday afternoon.  The traffic was insane!  You can tell we don't live in a big city...we are amazed at the traffic every time we come to town.  DeDe was really excited to have us spend the night and kept calling it a "house party".  Uncle  Matt and Aunt Rachel spent the night too, so it was lots of fun to have us all together.

We stuffed ourselves on beef tenderloin and baked potatoes, then let Ellie get busy on opening all of her gifts!

A personalized shopping cart from Matt and Rach!

Baby doll high chair, a new baby, and DISHES for tea parties!  This girl was in heaven!

 Santa didn't forget the "big kids" or the grandparents this year either.  In fact, I think he went a little overboard!  We all received lots of fun gifts.  I can't wait to break out my new 50mm lens for my camera!

DeDe FINALLY got a new phone...an iPhone 4S!  She's been using her old Nokia flip phone for forever!  It was time.  She got a super cute (monogrammed, of course!) phone case from us!

  Here's to clean showers, boys!

It was a great night spent with our family!  Part 2...Christmas Eve is next!