Christmas 2009

I can't believe Christmas is over. It came and went so quickly. I feel like I blinked and it was gone! The preparations felt as though they took months and then the actual day was gone in a flash. Here is how our Christmas went...
Christmas Eve was great! Dennis was off work all day! It was very last minute so we weren't able to plan anything special, but that's okay. We were just thankful that his boss had some kind of heart at the last minute! We went to church at 4:00 with my dad and then we went to my mom's house to have dinner and do our Christmas w/ her. It was great!!!!! My mom and dad surprised Chance and bought him a dirt bike this year, so he was ecstatic!!!! We all got lots and lots and lots of fun stuff for Christmas from mom and were so very grateful!










We came home from my mom's and we let the kids open one present each...their Christmas PJ's!!!! We gave them their baths, etc. and then we all climbed in Sadie's bed and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Sadie was hanging on every word. It was precious.

Dennis and I played Santa until a little after midnight. I was pooped! But, we got it all done. And, I made some delicious Monkey Bread in the process that I ended up snacking on all night long.


Christmas morning was soooooo much fun!!!!! We got the kids up around 8:00 or so and made them sit at the top of the stairs for just a moment while I got the video camera ready.



They were both soooooo excited when they came downstairs. They didn't know what to play with first. It was awesome to watch their little faces. The played and played for hours!!! Dennis and I cooked a huge breakfast and ate while the kids never stopped. Sawyer stopped a few times to eat a few bites, but Sadie didn't stop until it was time for her nap that afternoon. Food was of no importance to her!




Deb and LJ stopped by when the kids woke up from their naps to see all of their new toys! Sadie was so excited to show everything off.
David and Barbara came by after that and stayed and had dinner with us. Dennis smoked a ham all day so that's what we ate for dinner and it was quite delicious. We opened gifts with them and shared in their sadness that little Zoe had passed away the night before. We are going to miss that precious little dog. She was the best! She could lick you from across the room with that LONG tongue. I loved her to pieces!!!! Rest in Peace precious little Zoe. Tell Cocoa that we said "hello".




The next day, we got up and headed to Grammy's for Christmas w/ her, Daren, Rachel, & McHaney. It was so much fun. Once again, the kids got tons of stuff!!!! They were so excited. The funniest part was when they were bringing Sawyer's car downstairs and he was going crazy over it. It was the cutest thing!!!! I'm not sure I've ever seen him get that excited.





We came home for naps and I took down all of the Christmas decorations (because I had obviously lost my mind) and then we headed to Dennis' aunts' house to do Christmas with that whole side of the family. WOW! It was madness, but so much fun!! The kids all played pretty well together and we had so much fun.






Here is a hilarious video of the kids running around in circles and singing "Jingle Bells".

What a wonderful Christmas to remember. It was the best thus far! I know that each year will only get better, but I'm even more excited to see what 2010 has in store for this family. God has already blessed us beyond our wildest imagination and I know He has even better plans for us for the next year!!!!

The Phillips Household at Christmastime in 2009

What's been going on around the Phillips household this Christmas? Well...not too much! It has been a low key Christmas season and I have been so thankful for that. First of all, I can't go without recognizing that my baby girl has officially moved into a big bed! It breaks my heart but I am so proud of her. We did it on a whim. I had no intentions at all, because she has showed no interest and that was perfectly fine with me. Her big bed has been set up in her room since we moved in. I was just waiting on her to be ready to use it. Well, one night last week, it happened? Dennis mentioned something to her about sleeping in it, and she goes "OKAY!!!!!!" and seemed real excited, so we just went with it! She has done great every night and she loves, loves, loves it!!! She hasn't tried to get out of it one time. Thank goodness, b/c I have heard some horror stories about kids that get out and play all night long, etc.

Other than that, we've just been running around and trying to get things ready for this week. The kids are sooooooo excited about Christmas. It has been so much fun. I know that Christmas morning will be a blast. I have tried to incorporate the real reason for Christmas into everything we've been doing. I want them to know that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus on Christmas and that it's not all about toys, presents, etc. I'm not sure they totally get it all yet, but I figured that it's never too early to start!
Here are a few pics we got Sunday morning before we left for church. The kids had their Christmas outfits on, so I had to get a few pics. I had to keep the nursery that morning, so that is why I wasn't dressed up.




Sunday night, we had Christmas over here with my dad, sis, Jeffrey, and the kids. We had the BEST time!!!! My dad cooked a gourmet meal, as usual. We had prime rib, beef wellington, potatoes Anna (no, they are not named after me...just a coincidence) broccoli/cheese casserole, rolls, and cheesecake for dessert. YUM! I was sick when I went to bed because I was still so full. We opened lots and lots of presents. I was so proud of my dad for everything that he picked out for all of us. He did sooooo good! He had hardly any help at all! He was so generous and we all just had so much fun together. The kids screamed, yelled, ran around, chased each other, and had the time of their lives.









Today, (Monday) Grammy came and picked up Sadie and took her over to Aunt Pam's to make gingerbread houses w/ Cole and McHaney. From what I heard, they had a great time. I think they have pictures that they took, but I don't have them quite yet. Here's a picture of Sadie's masterpiece!


This is my most favorite week of the whole year. The excitement of Christmas just around the corner. I love it!!! I only wish Dennis was off work all week to enjoy it with us. That would make it all absolutely perfect!!! Thank you God for sending your precious Son to be born into this world and giving us all a reason to celebrate this time of year.