Christmas 2008

Christmas morning started early in the Bailey house...at least it did for Max! He was up by about 6am but since both of the girls were still sleeping soundly I wanted to wait until 7 or until they woke up. Yeah, I know, torturing the poor boy...or should I say boys because John was getting antsy too :)

We got the girls up at 7 and I ran down to turn on the tree and get the camera ready.

Max and Abby (once she saw the presents and stopped pouting) were very excited. I tortured them all a little more by making them wait for me to make coffee before we opened the gifts... I know...I'm a MEAN mom :)

Coming down the stairs...you can see Abby further up...pouting because I wasn't carrying her. And yes, Max is wearing shorts and a tank top...it was a warm night!

The most surprising moment to me was when Abby was almost giddy with excitement at seeing a 3 pack of Disney Princess panties in her stocking! She was equally as thrilled with her new Water Baby...which she has since named "Dora". She keeps her swaddled in a baby blanket and carries her as if she is a real newborn...so cute. Abby got a lot of clothes which excited her just as much as the toys...that's my girl!

Give this girl Princess panties and she's a happy camper!

Max was thrilled to get a remote controlled boat...which ended up not being good for John's back...and a NASCAR racetrack with Dale Earnhart Jr. AND Jeff Gordon cars that race each other...guess who has won each "race" so far? Max...being a boy I guess...was not overly thrilled to receive clothes this year and made a cooment to the effect of ..."NOT MORE CLOTHES!" when he opened the second box...the kid wouldn't bother getting dressed for the day if we didn't make him do it.

Abby opening her pj's from Max and Lucy and Max showing off the NERF football he got from Abby and Lucy...hmmmmm...notice the CLEMSON orange and purple...Abby picked it out...I swear!

Lucy is still at the stage where she just looks at everything and doesn't quite understand. She was excited to get her drum full of instruments, a little piano, a Fisher Price piggy bank and her own Water Baby! She was VERY excited to eat about half of the Gerber snacks that were in her stocking :)

Lucy getting a drumming lesson from her big brother...ROCK ON GIRLFRIEND!

John even got some new shirts, a new David Baldacci book (lucky for me he was looking at that book in Target when we were shopping together...as soon as he left I grabbed it!), a Sudoku book, and his big gift was a new hat and towel from the local golf course and a gift certificate to play golf. The silly grin on his face when he realized what it was told me it was the right gift :)

Daddy in his new hat opening his big surprise!

I, of course, had gotten my new camera already and also got some new picture frames.

After the gifts were opened and the trash thrown away we had some breakfast, played...John threw his back out getting Max's new boat out of the pond...and I took the kids to my parents house while John let the muscle relaxers kick in.

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My sister Mallory was already at mom and dad's and Shea and (her) John and the kids got there about 5 and (my) John got there about 5:30. We had a huge...DELICIOUS...dinner. We got the kids changed into their Christmas pj's and all 7 of them piled onto the couch with New Year's hats and noise makers, with my parents, for my mom and dad's (belated) Christmas...now New Year...cards.
Then it was time to open the presents! The kids were thrilled and my mom was a very savvy shopper this year in that she got Abby and Molly the exact same gifts :) Max and Jack were also thrilled with theirs and the 3 babies were probably more overwhelmed with all the noise and paper flying everywhere but they enjoyed their new toys as well.

I was SO EXCITED that my parents gave us a Wii AND a Wii Fit...WooHoo! Max also got MarioKart which is his favorite game to play when we go to mom and dad's. My sister Mallory also gave us framed phots that she had taken of the kids...she did the same for Shea (of Shea's kids of course...not mine:)

We had a great time playing and laughing and opening up the toys which almost require a fully equipped tool box to open! I finally got all the gifts loaded in the car and then the kids (which took even longer to pry them away) and we headed home. John had gone on ahead since his back wasn't doing well.

Once we got home and the kids were in bed, I stayed up past midnight unloading the gifts from the car and then proceeded to open everything up and throw away the trash so I wouldn't have the kids climbing all over me the next day to open this and open that.

We had a wonderful day and were blessed to be able to spend it with family. Max and Abby really enjoyed time spent with their cousins (we went back to my mom and dad's on Friday, Sunday, and Monday evening to see them again before they went home).

Max and cousin Jack ready to open some presents...yes, they are wearing matching pj's. They are 5 weeks apart in age...Jack is older.

Here is a cute one of Abby...so excited :)

Abby and her cousin Molly are a little more than 4 1/2 months apart in age. Molly is older. Whenever they get together...silliness is bound to happen. Here they are at my mom and dad's just before we opened presents.