Our Christmas in pictures-

This may have been my best Christmas yet.  Christmas Eve morning was our last day in Marco Island.  As you probably can tell by the pictures in recent post, it was a fabulous time with my family and some friends.  On our way home from Marco Island, we made a stop at Waffle House, Marks favorite breakfast place to eat.  While sitting and waiting for our service, the boys (and girl) read the sports articles out of USA Today.  Well, in truth Morgan really likes shredding paper, while the boys were in fact reading the sports section. 

Waffle House

Before getting home on Christmas Eve, well scratch that, after getting home Christmas Eve afternoon from what seemed to be a really quick ride home from Marco Island.  It began to rain.  It sometimes just doesn't feel like Christmas here in Florida, because its sunny, hot or raining.  No snow or crisp cold air to breath in. However, this was Christmas and I am so excited for it. We arrived home around 1:30 pm, then we unpacked, showered and got ready for the 4 pm Christmas Eve service at church.  After church we attended a friends yearly Christmas Eve dinner, which is always a nice way to end the night before turning in on Christmas Eve. 

This next picture is pretty sweet and funny.  Hunter for some reason, and I don't know if it is just all the excitement with the holiday stuff or what? He has just been giving everyone a hard time.  His teacher, coaches and parents.  He can at times have a really sour attitude and mouth, and when he lets his mouth take over, it gets him a lot of trouble.  He is not always like this, he seems to go in phases. Anyways, while in Marco Island, he kept saying he wanted Christmas to be over with because he was sure he was getting coal.  He came up with this all on his own.

So, as we are getting ready for bed and setting up Santa treats.  Hunter decided he wanted to write Santa a letter and it read, 

"Hi Santa Clause Marry Christmas!

I mite see you tonight mayby not.

I left you milk and yummy cookeis.

My name is?>>(he drew an arrow) Hunter Dylan Brackett of course

you no that your santa clause. Do you like our christmas tree. 

Did you get my list I hope so.

I hope to see you and roodof the red nose reindeer and dicksen. 

I hope I was on the good list! 

Do not miss the "p.s."

I hope I got something on my christmas list.

I hope you like my drawing for you!

P.S. Write a response on back"

He drew Santa saying "ho! ho! ho!" with his big red toy bag.  

This next picture, although blurry (I hate blurry pictures), was too cute to not post.  You know the child book, where is Waldo?  Well, lets say "Where is Milo our cat?" Can you find him? The cats really love to sleep under the Christmas tree each year. 

When I married Mark, his family introduced to me a little tradition of theirs that I fell in love with.  The "YOU ARE SPECIAL" red plate.  Anytime you have done something great or celebrating something about you, (awards, birthdays, accomplishments, etc.) mom sets out the red plate at dinner time in your place to eat on that night.  Tonight was Santa's special night and we wanted to surprise him with the "red plate" with his cookies and milk.  

Santa has made his appearance.  This is what he set up for Morgan. She got a infant learning laptop, some barrettes, a Marley and Me book, a superstar musical station that you sit at and sing and play music on, while looking at your beautiful face in the mirror. Her very own Stella doll that has a 'butterfly' on the center of her dress, and a bike riding helmet.  She must have been a really good girl.  Yes, she has been!!!  

When Hunter came and woke us up, can you imagine his excitement when he saw all of his things that Santa left him?  He was SO excited.  He woke me up, then he ran over to show me that Santa even ate his cookies, wrote a response on his note, and also left little stockings and treats for Milo and Shilo (mice and cat-nip). Nice!!!! 

There is a funny part to this story.....

Hunter asked for a real sling-shot from Santa, in which he got.  I almost slipped by asking this question.... I asked him where the "pellets" were for the sling-shot?  Not thinking, how should I know they were there if Santa left them.  Hunter then says with out missing a beat, "are they black things?"  I said "yea they should be, I thought I saw them next to the sling-shot." Trying to back myself out of what could have been trouble.  He then got this expression on his face almost as if he was embarrassed and said "I hid them, I thought they were coal and I didn't want you to see them."  LOL.... I am cracking up while writing this, thinking back on that moment.  I wanted to die laughing, but kept my "mom cool" so I didn't embarrass him about him thinking Santa left him coal and a bunch of fun stuff.  Kids, gotta love them.!

Hunter got an awesome Mongoose BMX Bike.  You know the big kid, real deal, cool bikes? He got a sling-shot with coal pellets.  A Bakugan t-shirt.  A Patriots swoosh pillow, a Tom Brady, November 24th, 2000 Rookie Card in a hard case.  Hunter was excited about the fact it was a card of Tom Brady, and the date on it was 3 days before he was born.  He got some BMX bike gloves, Patriots wrist bands and some other really cool things.  By the way, Hunter is a Patriots fan, I am a Dallas Cowboy fan and Mark is a Eagles fan when it comes to football.  In baseball its Yankees and Red Sox in this house.  Hockey its Bruins and Dallas Stars. Never a dull moment in this house with sports. Marks is the only real college sports fan, and that is Syracuse football where he attended college and played for 5 years before going pro.  In which for those that will now be asking what team. He played 3 years for Jacksonville and 1 year with the Broncos. 

Off subject....

We came to the conclusion that Santa must be a numbers kind of guy, and that he must have added up the days Hunter was good vs bad, and that the good days way out numbered the bad, so he got gifts and not coal. 

This is the aftermath of Santa's presence.  He left cookie crumbs all over the floor, on the table and in his milk. So that tells us he really enjoyed his treats.  As for his response he left on the back of Hunter's note, it said "Ho! Ho! Please check stockings...... 

As Hunter ran to his stocking, he found sealed letters to both Hunter and Morgan typed and mailed to them on Santa paper.  He read his letter (no pictures because I was video taping it) and then he read Morgan's to her.  Such a great big brother.  I wish I could let you watch the video for his reaction on somethings as he was reading, because they were great.  In Morgan's letter Santa told the kids about a little "elf" that he is going to start sending each December as a Christmas reminder of what the season is all about, the birth of our Savior Lord and King. Hunter was very excited about this elf thing.  

Another tradition before we can open all the gifts, we sit down and read Luke in the bible about Jesus' birth.  This year we all took turns reading a paragraph and then we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. It was a wonderful Christmas morning. 

As I mentioned before, Morgan was given a superstar musical set and she really seems to love it.  Well, then daddy happened to surprise all of us with Rock Band II and Play Station 3.  I have heard about all of this many times, but never really thought that much of it.  Let's just say, our family is now going on the road ....... we are the Rock Band family now.  Its very addicting and we have a BLAST with it.  What a great idea this was.  ROCK BAND --ROCKS!!!  Good job daddy! 

This is my beautiful and wonderful gift from hubby.  I have been asking for one of these for 2 years now.  I love it.  So far we get up in the mornings, daddy runs and we ride next to him.  We are loving it!!!  

Isn't she so cute!!

Isn't he just so handsome.  My little big man. 

She is just a little girl sitting back there.  Look how small she looks. 

We love our bikes!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!