Before, During and After Christmas!

I know what you all are here for, the pictures! Well, we'll get to them in a second. We had a wonderful Christmas season. Before we celebrated Christmas, we celebrated our 5th anniversary! I cannot believe it! Like always we used Jason's birthday meal at Tucano's and we went to Target to buy each other presents and also do a little Christmas shopping. Jason got me a frame set with 10 matching picture frames so that I can make a collage and a rotary cheese grater for all of the different Parmesans that I have. I got him a Wii sensor sleeve and two shirts. We also got to go to Borders (which we loved to do a lot when we were living in Utah), but we have been avoiding (because we don't have money to spend on books) and treated ourselves to new books. :) I love books!
We finished our Christmas shopping a few days after the weekend and it was nice that we could take the kids along and they didn't even know the difference. Tori helped us pick out what she wanted. Tori and Brooke both got gift certificates to Target from their Aunt Michelle and Grandma Frann. So we spent those too.
Christmas eve we just hung out as a family. First, we went to IHOP for breakfast because I had been salivating over their holiday pancakes any time I saw their commercials. Then, we went to Walmart to get our Christmas dinner (a roast!) and then hung out! We also delivered gifts to all of our neighbors (we made hot chocolate gift baskets). We froze our tookissis off!
Christmas was fabulous. We woke up (the baby slept until 7am!) and after everyone was fed, we opened presents. We had quite the haul. Tori got some toys: an Aurora doll, stuffed Dumbo baby, stuffed Daisy duck, a new baby with a carrier, a Sesame Street medical kit, a Sesame Street school bus, an Elmo blanket, and an animated dinosaur. she was in heaven with all the new toys, so thank you aunties, uncles, grandmas, and friends for the great gifts!
It has been nice to have Jason home and to relax and have fun with our little family. Jason got two new Wii games and 2 new board games so we have been having some fun playing with those. We sure missed our family (tears were shed and christmas music was extra depressing), but here are some pictures for you to enjoy until we see you again!

Having a little fun with my sunglasses.

This was taken yesterday. I think that she is about 71/2 or 8 pounds now. We went to Carter's to buy new pajamas for Tori who all of the sudden is growing like a weed and is almost stretching out of her 18 month pajamas, so we got Brooke all dressed for the occasion.

Ahh...sleeping.

Brooke's little hands

Ahh...just seconds before Brooke spit up on her pjs, Tori was holding her hand. Tori just learned to say Brooke the other day. She calls her "Bru, bru". It is quite cute!

A close up.

Her new toys. She loves them. The Target gift certificates bought her the little Sesame Street bus. She loves the baby and notice that she has a necklace on with the tag still on and the matching bracelet dangling from her throat. She also has Ernie clutched in her little right hand for safe keeping!

She loves Burt too. We wish that we would have bought her a stuffed one, but instead she will just have to carry around the Burt thermometer from her medical kit! Brooke sleeping on Tori's new Elmo blanket made by Grandma Frann.

All tuckered out after we delivered our Christmas goodies.

Like Tori, Brooke loves the lambs in the bassinet.

They make her smile and coo!

Jason with the little munchkin. A super cute shot of Tori in her Christmas Eve sweater.

A cute one with Daddy!

And last but not least...pajamas and bow! :)