Pins Family Christmas

On Saturday we drove out to Gurnee to celebrate with Dick, Judy, Jeff, and Jordyn.  We had fun hanging out, had a nice dinner, and exchanged gifts.  There were a few surprises.  My parents gave Brian and me a trip to Las Vegas.  We are so excited!  We haven't gone on a vacation with just the two of us since our honeymoon 7 1/2 years ago.  This was one of my best Christmases ever.  I really enjoyed all our family get-togethers and seeing Jadon delight in the entire season.  We appreciate all the gifts and money we received.  We are truly blessed in all ways materially and spiritually.  Happy New Year everybody!   

Christmas Day

We went over to Larry and Cindy's house on Christmas day for an elegant dinner.  Leah took a nap while we ate, yes!  After dinner we exchanged gifts.  Jadon received a battery-powered ATV from Keith and Vicki.  Needless to say, it exceeded his wildest dreams.  He and Dylan had fun driving it back and forth in the living room.  It wouldn't be Christmas without some lively gift from Uncle Keith.  One thing that made this Christmas special was having Dale, Nancy, and Avery home from Georgia.  Avery is such a happy, sweet baby and I know her and Leah will have fun together throughout the years.

Christmas Morning

We spent the night at Brant and Amie's house.  I think Leah was anxious to see if Santa had come because she woke up at 4:00 am.  The kids were very excited to see that Santa had eaten all his cookies and left them lots of presents.  They enjoyed opening their presents together and seeing what each other had gotten.  Yes, Jadon got a monster truck for Christmas...a couple...and he loves them all.  

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at Brant and Amie's house with Debra.  We had a Crab dinner and exchanged gifts.  Deb gave us all Christmas pajamas which inspired an all out photo shoot.  The kids set out cookies and milk for Santa and enjoyed hot cocoa by the fire. 

Baby Party

On Monday, my Augie roommates came over for a little Christmas party with their babies.  We had fun catching up with each other and watching our little ones interact.  Since the last get-together, 4 of them learned to sit up, 2 learned to crawl, and 1 was born.   

The Moms

Wendy with Emily 

(8 mo.)

Kim with Carly

(6 mo.)

Libby with Joaquin

(6 mo.)

Amy with Aaron

(2 mo.)

Christmas Parties

This past Tuesday, Jadon had his preschool Christmas party.  It was adorable!  He sang a few songs and presented us with all the Christmas craft projects he's been working on- so precious!  Santa came by for a visit and Jadon was the only one out of the 6 kids in his class willing to sit on Santa's lap.  Last year Jadon was deathly afraid of Santa, so he's come a long way.  He told Santa he wanted a pink Monster truck.  After Jadon's party, we went to Brian's work party at the WalMart D.C.  They had a nice lunch for the families and Santa was there, too.  This time we all got a chance to sit with Santa.  Leah got lots of oohs and ahhs in her Santa Baby outfit.  Christmas will be here in 1 week and we look forward to seeing many of you face to face.