Christmas 2009

The worst part about blogging Christmas is filtering through the pictures trying to get a good overall and making sure I get some of everyone. Considering I have nine children, even just two of each would make for almost 20 pictures, so sorry for the overload. As always, 5 am they text me and tell me to get up. They are quarantined upstairs till we tell them they can come down. I need good pictures after all! We always take a picture of them on the stair rail, but for some reason Rhett is missing. Anyway, This is our Christmas in a nutshell.

Bo had a rough time finding his stocking. He wandered around for a little bit and finally decided Brooklyn's was his and picked up her jewelry kit with a big smile. Weirdo.

Katy wasn't sure what was hers either. She was very interested in all that was around though.

Ah! There's mine!

Big girls coming around the corner. I make them come down in shifts. Women and children first!

Chelsey and Whitley finally got the jammies they wanted so badly.

Rhett and Dalin coming down.

Lastly, the men of the family. It's a little bit of tradition that Santa brings them Axe.

Presents are sorted and ready to go!

Bo and Katy did the infamous "I love it!" (toss it over the shoulder and grab another) At one point Bo says "Christmas is really fast!" I told him to slow down and it wouldn't be.

Chelsey, the working girl, bought something for everyone in the family. She really had fun doing it and now she got to feel the rush of giving.

Stephen went through his room and gave away something of his to each one of his siblings. Rhett got the sword he made at camp.

Brooklyn and Dalin made something for each of us. She made Katy a crown, but Katelyn ripped it while opening it. Darn it.

Dalin's favorite, I think....Bakugan!

Chelsey got Brooklyn this lovely purse.

Rhett's new MP3. I think he got just about everything he asked for this year. He had a very short list.

Chelsey got the digital camera she was hoping for. Unfortunately it kind of sucks. Sorry Chels.

Stephen just wanted new Pj pants. It's a good thing he got them because he gave his Coke ones to Chelsey for Christmas.

Brooklyn got a new camcorder. I didn't realize she needed an SD card so she didn't even get to use it for a few days....Killer.

Look at his face. Scary. One wonders what is going through an 11 year olds mind when he gets a pocket knife.

Chelsey saw this mirror and loved it. When she opened it, I told her to be careful about what she gushes over while shopping. You just might get it. My mom blinged it up a bit. It goes well with their room.

Apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur.....yep, she got em. Her joy was full!

We didn't even get all the gifts opened before they broke out the new Bakugan.

This was too cute. This is a $1 bow and arrow from the dollar store (or money store...as Bo calls it). He had one and it broke. He played with it for days straight. So, I bought him another one. As he is opening it, his eyes got big and he got all excited and starts thanking me for fixing it for him. Never mind that it's in a new package all strapped in. He's fun.

Rhett and Dalin got a real Bow and Arrow. You can see that Rhett is delighted.

Dalin's signature picture move.

Nick and Stephen got air soft guns. I know, I'm crazy. They have been very responsible with them...so far.

Nick was in charge of the trash. He's wearing the hat Chelsey got him.

Stephen trying out the goggles. We wrapped them in the boxes that the little ones booster seats came in. Katy was so excited that they were getting booster seats like hers.

To present Glade with the trees, I found this poem about being like a tree. It never says tree, so I made him figure out what it was talking about. Once he figured it out, we went outside to show him the trees.

The girls made fun of me for spending $200 on sticks.

From my Dad and JO, they got a trip to a cabin for 3 days. I cut up the picture of the cabin into pieces and made them puzzle them together. It took only a little while for them to figure out to put all the pieces together. Then they started shouting things like "you got us a deck?" "is it a shed?" Whitley finally figured it out and was really excited because she thought we actually bought the cabin. Sorry kids. Anyway, they are way excited to go to the snow and have a little vacation.

Brooklyn looking at her puzzle piece.

Whitley figuring it out.

Getting ready to open the Karaoke, also from Dad and Jo.

Katy missed it because she was in her room trying out her new duds.