Thursday, January 1, 2009

Under the Tree This Year...

Christmas this year was a day late at our house, because Daddy had to work on Thursday. So... while everybody else in the county was out trying to find deals on wrapping paper for next year's gifts, exchanging ugly sweaters for things less-Dr.Huxtable, and attempting to keep their cars out of the ditches?? Well, this family, oblivious to the icy weather conditions, was more than happy to stay at home.




I always like to take a picture of the tree looking neat and orderly...



as it never takes long for this...



to devolve into this! Gabe has just as much fun ripping up paper and boxes as he does trying out his new toys.



No matter how old he gets, if it has wings or rotors, he'll find it amusing.



No matter how old he gets, if it shoots, he'll find it amusing.



Bucky and Savannah's wish list was easy to accomodate in the clothing department. Hint: NEVER pay full price for Aeropostle clothing, just like you shouldn't EVER pay full price for things at Hobby Lobby. Aero had sales the week before Christmas - everything in the store was 50-70% off. Now, in my opinion, the sale prices are about what the clothing is worth, for the most part. Anyone who would pay $24.50 for a cami tank top is just nuts! But $6.00 - that, I'll do. Apparently, that's the opinion of most parents, because when Tom and I braved the mall crowd on the Saturday before Christmas (I shudder just recalling it!), you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting people with arms full of hoodies and jeans in the Aeropostle store. I knew what I wanted when we got there, so I grabbed a few things and had Tom get in the checkout line - I continued shopping, comparing prices, etc. By the time I was ready to go, Tom was at the cash register. Team Shopping - now that's a good deal.



Bucky gets ticked at me when I talk about how much I paid for something. But hey, when ya find a bargain, you want everybody to know. At least I do! This was, by far, the absolute BEST deal I got this season. Originally $49.50, I picked up this adorable Aero sweater, while shopping with our friend Jordan, for $1.99!!! Again, anyone who would pay that much is certifiable! Watch the clearance racks, people!!!



My sister is a Monk addict. (If you've never seen Monk on the USA network, watch him. He's hilarious!!!) She got Savannah hooked on Monk a couple years ago, and so we got her a season of the shows this year. She liked it even more than she did her...



...cash register, which she'd been asking for. It had fake money, though - SIGH!



I think the rest of Preston's body is in the next gift.



We found a Tic-Tac-Toe Thomas the Tank Engine game for Little Mister D. He carries the tin around all over the house.



Gifts from the Corny Department included Season One of Alf...



Followed closely by Season One of Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger...



and Chuck Norris in three different movies...Somewhere in the mess was a Chuck Norris poster...having a bunch of boys in your house just doesn't leave room for a ton of femininity, but boy can we all offer a great imitation of the Roundhouse Kick!



And if that doesn't do the trick, the foam sword will do just fine, thank you!



My husband did great shopping this year! New stainless steel pots and pans, and I was SO excited to find out that the steamer pan from my old Pampered Chef pans will fit in my new pans!!



My very favorite...My Cuisinart Coffee Grinder Brewer!!!! It's working well, and will play a huge part on this blog for a long time!!



Baby T was content to chew the wrapping paper. We tried to offer her several kinds, for a balanced diet.



Mister D was so happy with his kitchen set that I couldn't get him to look at anything else!! Good thing we saved it for last!


After spending the afternoon cooking the traditional Ham/REAL! mashed potatoes/corn casserole/sweet potato casserole/WAY too many pies and buckeyes for dessert meal, we passed out watching movies.

Every year, we say "Let's go on vacation next year instead of buying all these presents." So far we haven't done that - maybe next year...Unless of course, our Christmas present next year is Adoption. That's what I REALLY REALLY want...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

for Christmas, my mom stole my camera from me, wrapped it up and stuck it under the tree.. and all of my memories from Florida, I was satisfied. I'm easy to please, just like "baby t". :)