Merry Christmas

I've been putting off updating my blog with my Christmas post/pics since my laptop cord is MIA.  I'm sure I'll find it somewhere in the mess I call my living room.  It looks like a Babies & ToysRUs exploded in there.  That's what happens when you work full-time, your DH is still recovering from back surgery, and you have two little kids!!   It seems like everytime I clean up one mess (or pile), five pop up in its place.  I digress....

So about Christmas!  It was a blast!!  We were suprised on Christmas Eve with snow!!!  In our neck of the woods, snow maybe comes once and year and usually it's just a dusting that doesn't last for more than a day.  As I currently blog, there is still snow in my yard at home!  Once again, as I blog now, it's raining and we're supposed to get more snow today into this evening.  I wish my big girl was at home to enjoy it with me, but she's at the inlaws house.  Anyway, so back to Xmas eve.  M had to work so it was just me and the girls.  I was a cleaning, wrapping, and baking fool that day.  I managed to get done most of what I wanted to, but it took all day! 

It was a winter wonderland outside, & P1 wanted to go play in it.  I told her to get her new jacket and go outside.  She couldn't find it.  The New Jacket.  The Brand New NICE WARM jacket that she had worn to school ONCE.  She had left it at school.  She Thinks.  I was sooooo mad, I almost cancelled Christmas on her.  I even called M at work and told him I was going to call "Santa" and have him bring P1 coal this year.  M said that was a little harsh and didn't think ANY parent had ever taken away Christmas before. (I didn't mind being the first.  She had been really bad the last couple of weeks and losing the jacket was the final straw). Well, since the school is out for break, no one is there to let us go look for it.  M tried on Monday.  The janitor let him look in the lost & found, but it wasn't there.  So here we are, without a warm jacket.  Oh, and I didn't cancel Christmas but she didn't get to go out in the snow either.  I digress again (man, I'm bad about that)....

OK, so once M got home on Xmas Eve, we had our traditional meal!  Tamales, refried beans, Spanish rice, and a homemade soup I like to call Hominy Stew.  I made it the day before and let it sit overnight in the crockpot and it was soooo yummy.  A nice touch when there is a near blizzard outside (no joke, that is what the news was calling that weather!). 

After dinner M started a fire, we watched A Christmas Story, and the girls got to open their new Christmas PJs!  I also took a ton of pictures! 

After the girlies were in bed, the Santa gifts made their way out of hiding.  Oops, something just occured to me.  I think I have one more present of P1's hidden in the closet.  Hmmm, now I'm thinking Easter Basket! Anyway, so we set out all the presents and I went into a coma.  I was sooo tired from the day's work.  Unfortunately I didn't get a full night's sleep since a baby, who shall remain nameless, decided she wanted to keep checking for Santa every few hours.  Grrrrr. 

By 8am P1 came bouncing into our room wanting to go check out the goodies.  Little did I know, but M had set out the baby gates blocking the entrance to the living room so she couldn't get a peak before we were up.  Smart man!  I was going to wrap half of her door with Xmas paper, but I didn't have the energy.  Did I mention how tired I was?? 

Santa brought P1 the following:
All Four Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters with two accessories (anyone need some, I have extras of those darn things!)
Liv Dolls & Accessories
Misc Movies
Twilight Board Game
Itunes & Justice Gift Cards, and some other stuff I can't remember.

For P2:
FP Rainforest Jumperoo (which she loved)
Leapfrog toys; Alphabet Ball, Piano, and My Pal Violet (her fave!)
Stacking toys and snap together block things!
I'm sure there are others I can't remember, but those were from Santa only!

After they were done opening the presents, I took my annual Xmas pic...it was P2's first!  More on this later!

Then we got dressed and ready and went to spend all day with the family.  Since there was still snow, the kids had so much fun playing in it!!  So much fun that they didn't want to come in and open presents!  Talk about unusual!  I guess since snow is a novelty in these parts, they figured they better get while the gettin's good!!! 

Great food and great company it was!!!  I wish I could have seen my family, but maybe next year!!!  I hope everyone had a great day with family & friends.