Christmas Morning...

Once all the cousins were back together it was time to open gifts! Our kids woke up at normal times...wonder what age the excitement will really hit for our kids? A and T were so patient to wait for everyone to be ready to open gifts...they got to open their stockings earlier bc the had to wait for hours for the other 4 cousins to be ready...

Carter was too busy playing for a photo opt with his pile...M on the other hand looks "elf on the shelf-ish" in her pose...cracks me up with her legs all bent!

E is almost ready!

Carter says, "CRACKER!!!" he loved saying, "Hi!" to the nutcracker multiple times each day...

We are almost ready for the cousins to tear through their gifts together! Wrapping paper is about to fly!

It's on!!! M was excited to get a baby doll and Carter loved his elephant and hippo figurines...

Stocking time!

Carter got his sock monkey from G and G...the last cousin to receive his...a rite of passage!

Check out the cool socks Carter got in his stocking....so comfy and warm!

What a fun and special time to have all 6 cousins together on Christmas morning! Glad we didn't give "the gift of sickness" bc no one else in the crowd got what M had the day before...such a blessing to all be together and enjoy the festivities and see Christmas through the eyes of the children! :)

Christmas Eve

It will def. be a Christmas Eve to remember...M woke up with a tummy bug...Everyone else headed to Pepere's and had a wonderful time...M and I were so sad to miss out...She couldn't keep anything down all morning, but Grandma jumped right back into her "mommy mode" pulling hair back and helping her drink ginger-ale...By the afternoon M was feeling better and wanted to eat and was back to her "Chatty Patty" self...Tried to make her rest and relax with me in the afternoon with movies and games and then before dinner she and Grandma had a little tea party while I grabbed a shower...

Grandma mended one of M's stuffed animals...M got lots of TLC...Thanks for loving on her so well Gma!

Once the twins and their families got back we tracked Santa on the computer and the cousins went to bed bc he was over the Atlantic Ocean and headed our way!

Dec. 23rd

It was so nice to get to RI at 10pm and see the adults awake to greet us...our kids had been asleep since 8 in the car, but were totally wired once we got to G and Gs...the 2 cousins that were already there slept through all the craziness as we unpacked and got settled for the night...In the morning K and Co arrived to make our total 14!

The twins enjoyed a jam session...and the cousins had fun playing...

The girl cousins!

At night Grandma set up the Cousin Slumbering Quarters for the kids...the 4 oldest slept out there together...maybe the next get together M can join the ranks! Still not ready at this point...

Watched a Christmas movie together before bed...The kids would eat first and then watch something while the adults got to eat...

M in the mix....the song runs through my head..."one of these things is not like the others" from Sesame Street often when looking at the 6 cousins...see the little cousin doing his own thing? Love that boy! He is in his own little world! :)

Christmas Up North!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with Mike's side of the fam up north this yr! Over 200 pics to sort through! We are so grateful our kids enjoy "road trippin" since we logged 13 hrs on the way there and 14 hrs on our return home yesterday...but we had our pillow pets! "Perfect for trips to Grandmas!" Will update with pics and stories soon!

Merry Christmas!

With God there is always more unfolding,
that which we can glimpse of the divine is always
exactly enough,
and never enough.
~Kathleen Norris

The tree is outside with food for the birds and the last Advent Poster has been made...we are ready to celebrate with Mike's family! Merry Christmas everyone! :)

MiMi's Birthday!

Thursday was MiMi's bday, but we wanted to celebrate when we were all here for Christmas! We headed to MiMi and PaPa's church this morning and had a wonderful time...the kids were loved on well in their classrooms and we enjoyed the sermon and the music...Then we came back to our house to celebrate with lunch and gifts...
People went various ways during rest time and then we all met back at MiMi and PaPa's for dinner (which included an asparagus bake/fry off with L and S!...it ended in a tie...they were both delicious!) and of course bday cake!

Happy Bday MiMi...thank you for loving us all so well and making us feel special! We love you!

The Moose enjoyed the festivities!

2 days hard at play can wear a girlie out...She fell asleep both nights on the way home from MiMi and PaPas...Thanks for a wonderful weekend everyone! Merry Christmas!

Fam jam session...

Graham Fam Christmas

Mary and "Joe-fuss" at the bottom of the stairs....quite of few nativity plays broke out while wearing arm chair covers atop heads... :) Kayla got a snappy new sweater for Christmas and enjoyed lounging by the fire...

The future Mr. and Mrs! We had a lovely breakfast together before exchanging gifts...my camera battery died so many of the memories are on other people's cameras or in my mind...(I need pics of PaPa and Aunt SQ!)

MiMi let the kids set up their nativity...

After opening the gifts the kids played with their new toys...one of which was this cool puppet theater! Many a play was put on throughout the day! And it was also used as a shop to buy puppets and also a place to put on Nativity plays...ahhhh memories! After a yummy meal of seafood lasagna the Morins and the Graham Girls headed out to look at lights before bedtime...I wish I had had my camera to capture MiMi, Laura, and Susan on the backseat of the minivan....good times good times! So glad we could all be together during this busy Christmas Season...it was a relaxing and festive day! Mike and the kids went back home after the light tour and I spent the night just like old times with my sisters...

Snow-ville, USA (not really, but you gotta love a town that shuts down for a few inches!)

We made a snowman who the kid's named Frosty (so surprising!) this morning and then Mike lead us on a "snow hike" through the woods behind our house...I got some last min shopping done during naptime (I'm better under pressure I think!) and then we divided up our cookies from the exchange and started delivering them to the B&As and their families and the neighbors on either side of us...Mike made 2 more batches yesterday while I was sledding with M...ginger snaps and chocolate chip cookies! YUM!!! Fun to have so many different types to share! :)

The kids enjoyed taking every toy out of the toy box in Carter's room this afternoon and playing with them...I think watching an old Christmas movie that was a Graham Girl favorite sparked all of this....if you want to impose "toy guilt" for not playing with old toys...this movie will get you....great movie, but it lays it on thick! Read plot here...our kids are going to have all these memories from the 90s that their friends are going to have not a clue about when they talk about movies they grew up with...Their friends won't understand just the way mine didn't about the Hugga Bunch (hahahhaa!) in college...haven't shown them that yet... bit freaky I'll admit...little people coming out of mirrors... :)

The kids hopped in the box after they finished putting all the toys back in and I just had to grab my camera...

We love our little Mal-in-a-box and Carter-in-a-Box! What a fun unexpected Snowcation with Mike! Let the Graham Fam Christmas begin!!! :)

Sledding!

We had one B&A kid yesterday so during rest time we let M skip and we headed outside again...So many kids were out!!! I loved it!!!! It was so cool to finally have a kid old enough to play with the big kids! We usually don't make it out of our yard when both of ours are out to play in the snow! One girl was loving pulling M up the hill over and over to sled down...I kept telling her she didn't have to, but she wanted to!

Hours of fun! She was having a blast! We were out there for over 2 hrs! I couldn't believe it!

Aunt Susan stopped by after work to pick up her Christmas present from me early...snow boots! I ran into the house to get them...tore the whole house up looking...don't you just love it when you find a hiding place that good? Ahhh! Finally I remembered where I had hidden them! Mal had fun chatting and sitting with Aunt SQ while I was inside on my frantic search...once the boots were found and given we got back to sledding! Wonder if conditions will be good for sledding today? Loving this "snowcation" before break...God is so good to give us this time of "stillness" during such a busy season...

Kept thinking of this song while we were out playing with the neighbors...M loves Frosty 2...I love the original best, but in Frosty Returns there is a song about snow...

"Let there be snow! Let there be snow!
This kind of weather brings people together
so friendships can grow!"

SNOWcation...

We played inside until 11 on Thurs...It was so exciting to wait for the snow to start falling...Schools had been canceled the night before...After the ground was covered we went out!

Such excitement....Mal goes down the slide first! But not before Carter tries to have a taste..

"Walking in a winter wonderland..."

Carter gives it a try and gets some serious air at the bottom! Those snow suits make you zoom down the slide!

Trying to catch some snowflakes...

Carter was TOO FUNNY out there! He was getting so frustrated with his mittens and not being able to grab the snow...RALLLLLLPHY!!!! He was loving eating the snow..

TASTE the GOODness that is a SNOWDAY!

I know snow days are a double bonus for me bc Mike is home with us! I am so grateful he gets to enjoy these days with us...wish everyone didn't have to work and could be home in the snow too!

Too busy eating to smile... :)

What a fun morning!