Christmas Day

** The post below is the full slideshow of our Christmas day.  It's nice but I think the stories are better told in full! I (Amanda) got a new camera for Christmas thus I'm not in any of the shots :)

The day started a little slow as I (Amanda) was sick and Avery was bit under the weather, too. But we got up and had our traditional cinnamon roll breakfast with hot chocolate.

Then we commenced with the present opening....it's sad that we weren't able to get the kids much this year - HAHA!!!

Christmas - Part I was just the Smiths in the wee hours of the morning..

 Kids had a grand time opening gift and gift and gift - mostly Star Wars themed - books, ships, action figures, and even clothes. They also got non-Star Wars themed clothes and "comfy pants" like their Dad.

These are special gold ornaments from the McNamara's that we received this year and added to our ornament collection on the tree. Such beautiful works of art!

 These are Tobias' aforementioned "comfy" pants to lounge around in throughout the day. They are very similar to a pair that Mike got a few weeks ago. Both boys got a pair and LOVE them....and, of course, being a cool as their Dad

 Avery has long wanted this particular Star Wars ship and was even attempting to save up money for it. An ARC 170 - so he was more than thrilled to open this up as his finale present.

After the opening, the putting together and configuring took place. Lots to open, assemble, and decorate with stickers. 










The aftermath - trash/recycle pile - of Christmas Part I.

Tobias and Mike got me this wonderful elephant mug for Christmas...it is a fabulous addition to my elephant collection!
















We hosted Christmas at our house this year....Here is the lovely table we set!















GG join us for Christmas Part II

  Mike BBQed ribs (with his homemade BBQ sauce), and sweet potatoes. He also made pulled pork in the crock pot. We filled in the rest of the menu with homemade corn bread muffins, maple-cinnamon butter, and potato salad.

We had yummy crust-less pumpkin pie in custard cups with homemade whipped cream. Such a yummy and filling day!





We opened the grandparent gifts early because they required more prepping - felted hats. Both ended up failing so I am remaking them today. But it was a fun gift and process!

Tobias and Avery had asked for "drinking glasses" and got them from the Jones grandparents. They are pretty hilarious...Here are some pics and below that a movie of them playing with them for the first time. FUN!

 One of the most hilarious anectdotes from the day was when Tobias was opening a present from the grandparents. He had made a request for an iPad. So, grandpa says, "it's something from your Christmas list." He got VERY excited and said, "YES! An iPad!" So funny that he thought that was even within the realm of possibilities :) Anyway, what he ended up getting was a "mepad" - a notepad styled to look a bit like an iPad (it looks like this). He thought it was "very funny, grandpa" (said in monotone slight disappointment). Avery also got an iPad-wannabe, a magnadoodle.

 Avery was tricked by the packaging....He really thought he got this massive, Costco-sized box of Equal. In this picture he really was still convinced it was just a box of equal.

It ended up being homemade pajamas from Grandma Jones.

 Mike also got a homemade gift - popcorn-themed pillows for the recliners for our movie room. Perfect addition the the movie-watching experience.

 The morning after....Tobias working on his "iPad" - planning out his day, etc.

 Avery chilling on the couch watching an episode of the "Real Ghostbusters" series that Mike got them (from the 80s, animated).


All in all it was a fabulous Christmas - we enjoyed hosting and had a grand time, despite the illnesses.

Hope you and yours had an equally festive and enjoyable Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas at the Smith's

Click here to view these pictures larger

Christmas Break....thus far!

This Christmas break has been going fast! We have had some down time and a chance to relax and recoup.

Here are a few of our goings-on when we aren't playing with Star Wars toys, video games, watching Christmas movies or other fun things to do during the winter!!

We took an impromptu walk over the river (road) and through the woods (park) to Grandma's house only to find them not at home. So, on our way back we stopped at the park and did some swinging!!

Synchronized Swinging

A little help from the big brother

This is FUN!

A few days later, Avery and I went on a walk to Target to do our Christmas shopping - it is about a mile away through several neighborhoods. There are railroad tracks to cross on the way and the city built a tunnel under it for people to walk through....that was a lot of echoing fun....

Yummy hot chocolate smile!

Running for echo-land tunnel

Today, Tobias and I walked/jogged a Christmas Eve 5k. Theoretically, we've been training for it since October but some of us (the shorter one) didn't think we needed to train. We had a great time. I didn't get any pictures because it was raining and I was focused on beating my previous time - oops! But we did have a good time and he made it the whole way with only a few "are we there yet"'s.

We are looking forward to Christmas tomorrow morning and will have more to share then! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Musical Interludes

Tobias also settling in for his second concert.

Our kiddos have taken up instruments this year and are coming along nicely in their musical prowess. I took some video of their latest concert. I took the video with my cell phone so the picture is not crisp and clear. Pictures below help you to see the kids in their element. We really need to replace our video camera to get better clips, but you can at least hear the music.

 Avery warming up and getting ready for his first concert.

The first is Jingle Bells that Avery had to try out to participate in. He plays the cello and is really enjoying it. The second is Tobias playing "Jazzy Jingle Bells." He plays the trumpet and is hidden away in the middle of the crowd. I chose these songs because they are the kid's favorite pieces. Tobias loves this one because it is the first one where the instruments play different parts and "the trumpets basically have a solo," as he tells us.