Christmas Morning, Part 3

Cille enjoyed checking out her new pajamas from Mawmaw Shirley...

CinderStella got a beautiful pair of glass slippers...

She is so graceful in heels!

Every princess needs a ballgown to wear with her glass slippers...

And of course, she needs a set of wheels to get to the ball...

After arriving at the ball, Stella pretended that I was a mean, ugly troll...(that's my mean, ugly troll face.)

Stella threatened to punch the troll in the nose.  Then she made good on her threat.  This is the aftermath...

She kissed my nose to make it feel better...

Stella eventually lost interest in opening Cille's gifts, so Cille got a chance to open one herself...

Her favorite part was the paper...

Christmas Morning, Part 2

Cille also got this book by the first lady of Louisiana...

Grandma Tonie helped Stella put on her snazzy new necklace from Mawmaw Shirley...

Mawmaw Shirley also gave Stella a boy's sweatshirt... (not really, but that's what Stella thought when she opened it.)

Cille got a special box for her keepsakes from Mawmaw and Pawpaw...

Stella took a spin around the living room on her new tricycle...

Watch out!  Student driver!

Mommy got Nanny McPhee and Meet the Robinsons...

Stella finally let Cille lend a hand with the gifts...

Cille got a boy's sweatshirt, too! Haha...

Stella got a video camera, but she insisted that we pose and say "cheese" while she filmed...

Christmas Morning, Part 1

Here is what our tree looked like before the girls woke up on Christmas morning. The tree was basically just a fire hazard at that point (note to self: next year don't forget to water immediately!)...

Cille was up first and looked precious in her new Christmas jammies.  Thanks, Mawmaw!  Her Christmas socks had festive little monkeys on them.  Great find, Kelly! 

Cille's big gift was an exersaucer.  She was eager to try it out...

Stella distributed her handmade gifts to all the grandparents and helped them unwrap their surprises...

Then she started to open her own gifts.  The Princess and the Frog got a smile from her, even though she thought she already had the movie...(Thanks for that, Blockbuster.)

Still loving the exersaucer...

These butterflies are delicious!

Stella also got a stamp set and she wanted to play with it for a while before moving on...

Stamping Mawmaw Shirley...

In this picture, Stella is opening Cille's gift.  I do not think Cille will have quite the same attitude about this practice if it happens again next year...

At least Stella was kind enough to show Cille what was inside...

Christmas Eve

Part of our post-children Christmas tradition includes attending church on Christmas Eve and then gathering at our house for dinner and a slumber party. Here are the faces around our table on Christmas Eve 2010...

We were so happy to have this new face at our Christmas Eve dinner...

Jamie gave me an awesome cupcake carrier for Christmas, so of course we had to try it out.  We decided to make cupcakes for Jesus's birthday.  We even had red and green frosting to decorate them...

Stella's cupcake was obviously quite delicious...

Trying to wipe your chocolaty face on Pawpaw's shirt is a fun game for everyone...

Celebration in the Oaks

For the third year running (pun intended), our family participated in the Celebration in the Oaks Run/Walk. Yes, we are super crazy and did this race on the same day as the Reindeer Run.  It was a long day, but lots of fun and totally worth it! Here are Daddy and Stella preparing for the race.  Stella really needed a nap by this point in the day... 

Jamie helped Cille get ready...

The Raney family. Impressively, we were all on time for the race this year...

We arrived in plenty of time, as a matter of fact, for me to force the entire Raney clan to pose for a group photo!  Go Team Raney!

Cille was a little overwhelmed by her first Celebration...

Stella could hardly contain her excitement over the carousel, and tried out some break-dance moves on the floor while she was waiting for her ride...

In spite of the enthusiasm Jamie and I tried to share, Cille was nervous about her first carousel ride...

Still a little unsure...

The Zeringue family was very enthusiastic about their carousel experience.  Thanks to our special guest photog Matt for these delightful pictures!

I think she likes it!

Waving to her adoring fans...

I wonder what Kirk is thinking in this shot.  I know what Skyler is thinking.  "Next year I'm getting my own horse!  No more sharing with Mom!"  But look how much fun she's having...

All that spinning can really make you hungry...

And here, compliments of Romaguera Photography and the talented Ralph Romaguera, is our annual group shot. There are actually 18 people in this photo. (Skyler is hiding behind Jace's head.) All of our friends in this group really feel like family and we are so blessed to get to celebrate the season with them! Happy Holidays!

*Due to inclement weather, there are no fun pictures from our adventures in Storyland this year. Our apologies.