Emma and Evan's Visit!

A few days after Christmas Cousin Emma and Evan (along with their parents of course :)) came to visit.  We had a great visit!  One day everyone came to our house for dinner and the kids made quite a mess!

 

Christmas!

The pictures posted all crazy so I'll just label them and you'll get the drift! :)

 

Christmas eve we went to church and afterward we took a few pictures.  There was a band playing and my boys started dancing around and trying to tackle.  Needless to say it was time to leave right after this!

 

 

We always take a photo in front of the Christmas tree.

 

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house right after church to have dinner and open a few gifts.

 

The boys helped to open a present for Claire!

 

Our tree Christmas Eve.

The stockings are hung ready for the boys to wake up!

 

 

The boys are ready to see if Santa came!

 

Cooper LOVED his bike!

 

Jackson with his presents.

 

Cooper with his.

 

My favorite gift that we gave the kids...because it included Claire!

 

Christmas day after we opened presents at our house, we hurried over to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The kids enjoyed opening more presents!

 

Jackson received this tricyle and he LOVES it!

 

It started snowing on Christmas Day!  A Christmas miracle!

Jackson wrote "cooper" on a present for him! This is upside down, oops.

 

Christmas Eve morning the boys exchanged presents.

 

 

Cooper gave Jackson some army trucks.  He obviously loved them! :)

 

Cooper loved Jackson's present too.

 

Christmas Eve we all went to church together.

Peppermint Party, Santa, and Christmas lights!

 

My mom host an annual Peppermint Party with the boys around Christmas time.  This year each boy was able to invite a friend.  Isn't the table cute?

 

 Here's Jackson and his friend Henry.

 

 Here's Cooper and his friend Zachary.

 

 The cute peppermint treats.

 

 All of the kiddos at the party!

 

 We of course had to play "hot rudolph."  This time Jackson played for a bit!

 

 Cooper loved it!

 

 This little "bridge" is a favorite activity at Grandma and Grandpa' house!

 

 The cousins.

 

The boys loved meeting Santa!  Even Jackson did and I was kind of worried he'd be scared. 

 

 They each told Santa what they wanted for Christmas and got a candy cane-they were so excited!

 

One evening we went out to look at Christmas lights and of course had to take a few photos first. 

 

 

 

 They loved the hot chocolate!

 

 

December Stuff Cont...

My parents always take the kids to a kids Christmas Play in December and this year Jackson was old enough to go!

 

 

We always meet at the Cheesecake factory after the play.

 

We tried to get a family photo...

 

Then I tried to lift him up but I was laughing so hard I coudn't quite do it...

 

 

but then he ran back in and we were able to get one where we're at least all facing the camera!

 

Laura and Tom got a great family photo!

 

Our family loves advent calendars and I had to get a photo of the kids in front of my favorite one that my Grandma made Laura and I when we were little.

 

Ahh, the traditional picture of the kids wrestling in front of the Christmas tree.  Everyone has one of these, right?

 

We had a Christmas party for Cooper's class.  I was in charge of this party so I was relatively stressed leading up to it but it all went well and now it is OVER! 

 

I went to pick up Jackson from Holly's house after the Christmas party and this is how they were sitting watching the show.  We didn't pose them like this or anything, they were just cuddling on the couch.  Isn't that too cute?

 

The boys painted ornaments and a few little wooden statues and Jackson tried this great technique of double-fisting painting.