Christmas with the Crankies

Well, not all were cranky. Just some. Just one. Just Avery.

Emily came out of the bedroom and seemed very overwhelmed by what she saw under the tree. She just kind of stood there...
I don't think she was quite awake. And I'm sure she was wondering what was with all the cameras.

But she recovered quickly and tore into her gifts! Avery lay there like a slug. It was her only defense.

Grandpa Hill spent some time telling Emily some stories. Rob was able to capture some really sweet moments of them together.

In this photo, he was telling her the story about the Three Little Pigs and he was at the part where the Big Bad Wolf blows their house down.

Family Christmas

Look at all the presents! FUN!!! And the craziness begins! Watch the wrapping paper fly, see the kids' eyes sparkle with excitement, hear the parents' groan as yet another louder-than-necessary toy is added to their kids' toybox.

Hey there, Grandma and Grandpa Brown. I hope you enjoyed your presents, too!

Caiden was asleep when everyone else opened their presents. I think he was mainly interested in the candy that Nana included in his stocking.

We exchanged gift baskets this year. Mine was a bathroom themed basket, complete with Farty Lites, Farty Paper, and Fart-B-Gone air freshener. A must-have for anyone eating turkey and ham this season...

And the lucky recipient? Uncle Jason! A perfect fit.

An "old" family "heirloom" was passed on to the next lucky family member. Michael will hang on to it until next Christmas. Who will be the next lucky heir???

And a new family "heirloom" was introduced this year. This lamp is to be displayed prominantly throughout the year until it's passed on to the next heir next year.

There was good food! Then, people kinda got crazy!

Kelly, please don't hurt me for posting this...

We had a great time! Thanks, Kelly, for letting us have the celebration at your house!

Easter Sunday

I totally forgot to post this yesterday. Oh well, here they are today!

Emily and her cousin Cadence had a blast hunting Easter eggs in the front yard. As soon as the door was opened, out they came and the hunt was on!


I love how Cadence is checking out Emily's basket...

Gramma had this cool chicken toy that when you squeezed it, a bubble sort of thingy came out of its butt that resembled an egg. Emily loved it! It was kind of gross.

Easter, one day early

The Easter Bunny arrived just before naptime was over on Saturday afternoon. The E.B. was very understanding when we notified him that Daddy would not be home on Sunday morning to see the look on Emily's face when she first would see her Easter basket. The kind Bunny took time from his busy schedule to stop by just before Ms. Em woke from her afternoon beauty rest.

Thank you, Easter Bunny, for your kindness!

I'll post some shots of the Easter egg hunt from Sunday at Grandma and Grandpa Hill's house tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

Santa arrived safe and sound at our house! He brought Emily a tent and a desk to draw on. He didn't seem to mind that we had no ornaments on our tree.
Emily woke up to find her toys all set up and ready to play with.

I had to put the finishing touches on the gift that Cadence gave to Emily. She loves this toy so much!

After presents were opened, we sat around in our PJs and watched 007 movies!

You may not be able to see from this photo, but up on the mantle you'll find that the three kings made it to the manger! They love the Baby Jesus!