What a Memorable Christmas Morning...

At 7AM both kids were "talking" about Santa coming in their cribs. I went to get Addie and Blake got Carter. I heard Carter yell "potty" right when Blake walked in, which is normal. So Blake immeditately took him and sat him on his potty like we have done 100 times in the last 3 months. He sat and read books and then like a Christmas Miracle, he "pee-pee'd" in the potty for the very first time on Christmas morning! So he got a popcicle. We told him he can have a popsicle everytime he goes in his potty!

Then it was breakfast time and "Pops" came over at 7:45AM to watch the kids open all their presents from Santa. Carter liked opening the wrapping paper.

Me-me was there with her famous stockings for the kids... Carter kept going for the football that was in there, she had to hide it to get him to keep looking in the huge stocking.

Then, the last present in Carter's bag from Santa was a brand new basketball... he dropped everything and yelled basketball like it was the first time he had ever seen one. We told him Santa had left one more present upstairs and we all walked up stairs to find his new 4-6 foot goal! His eyes lit up, it was the perfect Christmas morning scene! He shot baskets forever!

Addie enjoyed some good time with "Pops!"

Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was super fun and exciting all day long. In the morning right when Me-Me got here, we made cookies for Santa!

Then Cousin Carson came over to play during lunch.

We went to church together, even Carter came to "Big Church," he was shockingly perfectly behaved... he loved all the music!

Then it was family get-together time. We have a saying in this family...

"It doesn't matter how you got here... by blood or marriage.... we are all family!"

We had a Brown, Ernst, Metcalf, Johnson, Blagg, & Nash Family Christmas Eve Mexican Fiesta dinner here at our house! It was so much fun!

One of the highlights of the night was setting out our cookies and milk for Santa. Carter insisted on testing them out to make sure they were "safe" for Santa to eat!

Then us adults had a wild night and stayed up playing good ol' board games and waited for Santa to drop off the gifts! We had fun helping him carrying them in. Santa insisted on no pictures.

Then it was off to bed to wake up to see the look on the kiddo's faces! We hope everyone had a happy Christmas Eve where ever you were!

Addie's in the Holiday Spirit!

It has been so much fun dressing Addie up each morning the last couple of weeks for Christmas! Here are a few of our favorite outfits!

Their bear that reads "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to them... she thought he was pretty cool!

Should Have Waited to Send Christmas Cards Out...

Ever since I was pregnant with Addie and knew I would have 2 children so young at the same time, I have dreamt up the perfect Christmas card having our sweet children sitting on Santa's lap looking into Santa's eyes with curiosity. Well, too bad we didn't get to go to our annual Santa visit until late in the season or I think this 2nd picture would have made the perfect picture for our Brown Family Holiday card... well, there is always next year!

The funny thing is, Carter was SO EXCITED all week to see Santa. When we asked him what he was going to ask Santa for, he confidently said, "A basketball," a mil,lion times! Even pulling into the parking lot, I was explaining to him in detail what Santa was going to be like - "BIG and RED... but so nice, he just loves little boys and girls!" We got out of the car raring to see Santa but then Carter saw him and freaked out. So, Addie got some good time alone with Santa.



This is the site Addie and I found when we returned to the car.

We should have known from last year...

#1 for Carter.... by FAR!

#1. HIS "DA-DA"

There was nothing that even came close to this one. This boy is a clear "daddy's boy" and although Carter and I have been spending a lot more one-on-one time together since I have been working part-time, which has made us much much closer.... I am no where near the ranks of "da-da," if he is in the same room. I am so completely OK with it and am just so glad that Carter has the best father as a role-model and one that is amazingly hands-on and completely 100% involved.

Here are some recent pics I have taken of the duo of some common everyday sites!!