joy, peace, love...soak it all in! {Christmas 2012}

I'm squeezing in one last post to preserve our Christmas Day memories!

After a fun-filled evening with Noonie and Papa J, it was time to tuck in those sweet littles, but not before a few special traditions...

Signed, sealed, and delivered...
{she wrote the whole thing by herself this year...my baby is growing up *tear*}

Cookies and milk...

No, Hudson, you can NOT eat one...these are for Santa!

Ice-cold milk, just as Santa likes it ;)

All ready for Santa...

Christmas Eve Tradition...'Twas the Night before Christmas...

Getting sleeeeepy...

So snuggly...

Ready for bed!!

And then sometime in the middle of the night...Santa came!  He left his tell-tale snowy footprints!! Yup, all the way from the chimney to the tree and to the plate of cookies!!

He ate all the cookies, drank the milk...

...and left some goodies by the tree!

And then Christmas morning...

he he...I think Jaxon liked Santa's snow ;)

I debated posting present pics because something about that feels kind of weird, but here's the deal...when Lance and I became parents, we decided that Christmas Day would be spent at home with our littles, not driving from place to place, so that we could enjoy a low-key family day. The downside being that the grandparents don't get to see the littles' reactions to opening their Santa gifts, so these pics are for them!

Wait a minute. Santa always brings 3 gifts, like the gifts the Wise Men brought to Baby Jesus...how come we have 4 gifts???? Yes, can't get anything past her!! Mama was a little off her game this year...but I love that she understood why Santa brings 3!

Love that they're finally old enough to watch each other open gifts...

Grace: That box sure looks like something I reaaaally wanted Santa to bring me?!?

It IS!!!!!

McKenna!!!!!
{Oh, sweet little pumpkin. You have no idea how hard Santa worked to make sure McKenna made it to our home on time after she got lost somewhere between the North Pole and the USA mid-November...}

Spiderman dress-ups to go along with the Spidey pj's and Spidey slippers...

Lego Friends...Olivia's House!

Star Wars Legos!! {notice the glove...}

Not sure who was more excited...father or son...

Hooray, I love Legos!
{sooooo sweet, how Hudson always says "Hooray"}

American Girl invasion...

More Legos!

It's Jabba...

Opening up one with mama...

What can it be?

It's princess dress-ups!!

Stocking stuffers this year were interesting...

The littles found their very own "Polar Express" ticket giving them clues as to where they would find their stocking stuffers...

...this is what happens when Daddy helps Santa shop for stocking stuffers that don't fit in the actual stocking!! Oh, but he picked the perfect things!!

My loves!

A little someone is 100% Star Wars starry-eyed!!

Hudson loooooooooooooooved this!! He insists on drinking hot cocoa from this mug every day!!

McKenna craft kit...

Peter Pan Returns!

Only my college girlfriends will be able to fully appreciate this pic...yes, she is as into her gloss as her mama. My little mini-me...

But my favorite moments from Christmas morning have nothing to do with presents...

Finding Super Belly and Cookie Rooftop's last spot for the year...
{Noonie...the littles LOVE their Nativity set - "activity" set to Hudson, he he...thank you!!}

Singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus...

...and gobbling up this delicious French Toast Bake with the ones I love! {thank you Rachel via pinterest for the recipe!!}

I pray this Christmas was filled with little moments spent with loved ones...moments that will forever be etched in your heart.
Merry Christmas!