Christmas 2013

We had a fabulous Christmas this year! I love spending time with our little family. It was a truly cozy and happy holiday. I always feel so spoiled on Christmas day, not just by all the presents, but by my wonderful family and friends. I love receiving all of the cute pictures and Christmas cards from loved ones across the country. I love reflecting on all of my blessings and thinking about the relationships /i have that make my life so rich. Here are some (ok, a lot... I have the hardest time narrowing down the pictures I post!) pictures of our Christmas this year.

 Tummy time with daddy

Jingle Rails exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum

Maybrie loved waiting for Old Faithful to erupt!

 Maybrie called me in from doing dishes to snap a picture of them that she posed! I was annoyed till I saw this sweet sight! Love my babies!

 Visiting Santa at the Manchester Village office

 I finally helped Maybrie make a gingerbread house. She was so excited! She had been begging me for weeks.

 Yes, Maybrie is wearing a swimsuit in the middle of winter! She and Thomas took the down comforter off our bed and pretended it was a pool... and the swimsuit stayed on all day!

 Wearing the slinky Michael and Maddie gave her for Christmas. The kids were entertained by these for several days!

 Ezra turned one month old on Saturday, December 21st.

 Brothers

 Brian and I also celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary on the 21st. Indy decided to celebrate with a record rain storm... I've never seen it rain so hard for so long! We got 4 inches in one day! After doctoring Thomas's cut open head (The kids were jumping on the couch and Thomas fell off, hitting his head on the corner of the ottoman! So much blood, I nearly had a heart attack. Thankfully Brian is much calmer in such situations and took care of him.) we headed out on a date. We got a babysitter for Maybrie and Thomas at home and dropped Ezra off to his first babysitters, the Wilson's. We were probably crazy to go out in the storm, but it was our anniversary and how often do we have a babysitter lined up? We ate dinner at Smokey Bone's, a yummy BBQ place I discovered while working in PA one summer during college. It was nice to get out alone without the kids. I feel incredibly blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. I love you more than I could ever express, Brian!

 This is the flooded parking lot in front of our house. The water went up to their top step... talk about a close call! It drained by morning. Oh, and we were fine, our house is up a little higher across and down from this.

 Thomas and Maybrie in their Sunday best. Brian's mom made Maybrie's beautiful Christmas dress.

Family night downtown seeing the lights on Monument Circle. This is the tallest Christmas tree in the country (though it isn't a real tree, just lights stringed up a monument. Still cool though.).

Christmas Eve 

 Mixing sugar cookie dough

 Cutting out cookies

 Our festive Christmas Eve dinner table. We had vegetable chowder (me and Brian) and Bean w/Bacon soup (Maybrie and Thomas). This is our family's modified tradition from the Reynolds family traditional clam chowder dinner. I love how simple and yummy it is.

 Maybrie was excited to help me decorate and make name tags for everyone.

 Watching the Grinch while daddy cleaned the kitchen and mommy fed Ezra.

Our first live nativity... I can't even handle this cuteness!

 Joseph and Mary

 

Baby Jesus

 Opening Christmas Jammies 

 Maybrie was very excited about her princess slippers... every picture was blurry cause she was shaking them up and down! 

 Our kids looking far too cute in their pajamas!

 Santa came!

 Maybrie 

 Thomas

 Ezra

Christmas Day

The kids slept until 7:30 and actually came and woke us before storming downstairs. Their stockings and Santa gifts (Maybrie got a Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse and Thomas got a Thomas the Tank Engine Trackmaster set) were so exciting they were entertained while I fed Ezra, and then we opened gifts after I was done. All of the gifts were a hit. I am wondering if Santa will be able to keep up this high standard next year... he totally lucked out with free hand-me-downs and Craigslist steals this year! There is NO WAY Santa could have been this generous had he paid full price! Maybrie's only complaint was that she didn't get a Jasmine costume! It was at the top of her list for some odd reason... she must've seen it in a toy ad. We told her it wasn't modest! haha After presents I ate my cinnamon roll and crashed on the couch with Ezra. I was exhausted because I was up at 5am on Christmas Eve (with Ezra and Maybrie had a nightmare) and didn't have a nap all day and then went to bed late because of my Santa duties. 

 Thomas was as excited about the Barbie house as Maybrie!

 Trains

 Our house quickly turned into the island of Sodor and a Barbie dreamland!

 A happy Christmas morning scene!

 Brian has played Barbie's a lot this week! Maybrie is loving it! What a good daddy... so cute to watch!

 Maybrie's Barbie bike is actually really cool!

 Christmas dinner at the Jenk's! We had entirely too much food, but man was it yummy! And it made for great leftovers. Brian made BBQ pork ribs and Dawn made ham, plus yummy sides, sparkling cider, cherry cheesecake miniatures and pumpkin pie. We ate so good this week, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it! :)

 Kid's table

 Baby's first Christmas

 Thomas was hilarious with Leigha's new stick horse! The next day we caught him riding the broom like a horse... he is too funny!

 Maybrie and Jenna had fun sharing their new Christmas toys.

 Can you tell how tired I look in this picture? I had an allergic reaction to some grapes I got for Thomas and was feeling the effects of the Benadryl at this point in the night!

 Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

  

 Daddy made some really cool tracks with the kids!

 We visited the Children's Museum on Friday since Thomas missed Jolly Days before Christmas. 

 Me and Thomas on the Yule Slide.

 Ice skating on the pond in our socks.

 Our little elves in training

This is what Ezra does during our outings!

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 "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world!"

Watching Maybrie plays with her Barbies totally takes me back to my childhood. I LOVED Barbies!

 Trying out mommy's new Stir Crazy popcorn popper!

 It turned out good, mom!

 Daddy with his boys! I love the size comparison between Ezra and Thomas here.

 On Saturday we visited the zoo because it was a lovely 50 degrees outside! Thomas and Maybrie love petting the sharks!

 Looking at the penguins. I can't get over how grown-up Thomas looks here! I was beginning to think that anyway, but then Ezra came and it seems even more apparent! 

We have had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to one more week of laziness and fun with daddy home while we ring in the new year!