A white Christmas!

We had a fantastic Christmas in 2012. We got to spend it with family, eat yummy food, and exchange presents. We hosted Christmas morning at our house- our first time spending Christmas Day at our house since living here! Jon's parents, sisters and their families joined us.

 This is the scene our boys awoke to on Christmas morning-

...more presents adorned our fireplace

Before the rest of the extended family joined us, our family opened presents first.

Jason got a beloved lion, just his size-

Jack was super stoked to get a fireman jacket, helmet, and ax

Spiderman puzzles, and a new game for his new LeapPad(from Mimi/Pappaw)

 
Book complete with steering wheel and sound effects & Batman Imaginext

Jack and Jason were so sweet opening their presents. I just have to say that I was really impressed by them. They didn't attack the presents, shoving each other out of the way. Jack, after opening his first present, insisted that Jason open a present and would bring it to him. So they took turns and watched what the other one got, sharing the attention. Jack was even excited to see Jon and me open our presents. I gave Jon a couple of Gundam models that he can build, and he gave me some new fuzzy winter boots and eucalyptus lotion.

After the present opening, it was then time to cook breakfast and get ready for everyone else to arrive. I made cinnamon rolls, sausage log (think sausage and melted cream cheese baked in crescent rolls), and orange juice. After breakfast, we let the cousins (Jack, Jason, Reagan, & Elizabeth) open their gifts. Jason got a school bus that he really loved, but it seemed the rule of the day was to play with someone else's present, ignoring your own. Uncle Ryan sure loved playing with Jason's new wooden food set that you can cut with a knife-

and Jason sure loved playing with the girls' new tea set-

Nana & Paw Paw gave the boys Lego Duplo sets, a farm set for Jason and firehouse set for Jack-

So, basically the little kids had a whole lot of present opening to do, and the big kids or adults had a little less. But we did have a white elephant gift exchange among the adults. It was fun to pick numbers, and see people's reactions to gifts, though there wasn't too much gift stealing happening.

Then we had lunch. There was ham, salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, "pink stuff," rolls, chocolate pie, pecan pie, and cookies. Delicious. Thanks to everyone for contributing!

During lunch, it started snowing, giving us a true white Christmas (a rarity here in Texas)! It was beautiful to watch the snow falling outside the window while eating Christmas lunch. After lunch, Aunt Erin and family said their goodbye's and left to beat the freezing weather home. Nana & Paw Paw, and Aunt Heather & Uncle Logan returned to their hotel for some downtime. So then we had our own nap time, which was lovely since I napped myself.

 Later, we went out and enjoyed the snow-

Even with our coats, hats and gloves on, we were chilled to the bone

Jack hunched over in his cold state

snow-covered Jason shoes, adorable

It was a perfect day to have the fire going in the fireplace. I texted my sisters in Virginia that we were having a white Christmas, and they were jealous of Jack. They're jealous because he's only 4 years old, and has now had 2 white Christmases in Texas, and my sisters and I never once had a white Christmas in our 20+ years of living in Dallas. He's getting spoiled for sure!

I needed boys' formal wear!

My sister Teri is getting married! Her fiance Eric proposed to her just after Christmas, and I can't be more excited for them. She asked me to be her matron of honor, and Jack to be her ring bearer! I'm so looking forward to the wedding. So, I now have the task to find a stylish, formal, yet affordable outfit for Jack to wear as ring bearer. Little brother Jason will also need to be dressed up. I've hunted online through dozens of websites looking for boys' vests and formal wear, and finally found a website that I loved! It's called isabellasfate.com. When compared with similar websites, their prices were more competitive, while offering the same quality products. I loved the fact that they had the option to buy vests separately, since we don't need an entire suit. The vest/tie combos came in a variety of color options, with plenty of available sizes. Many of the other websites I checked out didn't have the sizes I needed.

Isabellasfate.com not only offers formal wear for boys, but for girls as well. So if any of your little ones are needing a new outfit for a special occasion, I recommend it! For my boys, I loved the vest with the vine pattern. It is very elegant and will look perfect in the wedding pictures. Another great thing is that there is a 10% discount offered all February. Coupled with the money already saved compared to other more expensive websites, the extra 10% is icing on the cake. Isabellasfate.com offered a wide array of formal wear, giving me countless options to choose from for my boys, and I couldn't be happier!