Santa Came!

Oh Christmas morning - the excitement and the anticipation of both the kids and the parents.

Did I get what I wanted? (kids) Will they like what we got them? (parents)

Let the fun begin!

****Reader Beware - super long posts - only 20 pictures or more****

Here's our tree before the fun did begin! The presents in red are the ones Santa brought.
The stockings were hung.....well, they were before they got filled! (the bowl is the combined food/items for Matt/Xyo/Liam. They didn't have stockings yet) And yes - I do need to get some more stockings so we all match. We used too...but then added a couple of kids.

Here's Carson with the unwrapped present Santa left for him. He is so happy. He finally got his Handy Manny flashlight he had asked Santa for the 1st time he saw him, and Santa didn't give him the 2nd time he saw him. Finally, Santa got him his present. (and yes - those are not the pj's he opened the night before. He decided he didn't like the feel of those pj's at the time)
Dani with a DS game she got.
Kristi with her present: Wii Mario Cart

Jason's present left out was some IBC rootbeer - but he did open up this Xbox 360. Yea, he was happy! (his old one had gotten the ring of death and couldn't be fixed)

Kendall also had IBC rootbeer. He was excited about getting this CD though.

His main gift was some really nice binoculars.

Kris even drove all the way in from Queen Creek to be there Christmas morning with Mikel - and I guess the rest of us too.

He got a case for his laptop from Santa

Matt with his new shaver (does he look like he needs a shave?)

Xyo with a rice cooker. She was happy with it!

Dani was really excited when she opened up a new camera!

Oscar really liked his present.

Carson with his new fishing pole that Kendall got him. (he decided he didn't like the other pj's either)

Does Doug look happy with his present I got him? He really is.

Here's Mikel with a really pretty necklace that Kris got her.

(She also got nice binoculars. Surprised? Shouldn't be - she loves to hunt too!)

Carson can't decide which present to play with now.

Jason enjoying some time with Liam

Carson playing with his new "laptop". He loves it!

Mikel and Kris fixed breakfast burritos for all of us Christmas morning.

Don't you wish you could have been here for them!

Matt getting out one of the game chairs the family got.

Here's Dani trying out MY new computer. Spoiled wasn't I! I absolutely LOVE having my own computer - and a laptop at that.

So there you have it. Christmas at the Alldredge household.

We did have a great Christmas and I loved spending the time with my kids.

Again - I really missed Jeremy and his family.

Just a few more things to catch up on - and then I will do the individual updates on each of the family members. Aren't you excited!! It just keeps on coming.

Christmas Eve

Finally almost end of the posts for 2009. Just a few more to go!

We really enjoy Christmas Eve at our home. We are all together as a family (but we did miss Jeremy, Jo, and EmmaLee) and we usually invite some good friends over to share it with us. We have lots of good food to eat (no pictures of the table, but it did look good!) - with some of our favorite appetizers galore and much more.

We then have a fun time singing and opening up the obligatory present of pj's (at least for our family).

Enjoy a few of the pictures from the night.

Kristi is becoming quite good on the piano while we all sing!

part of the choir

Dani and I playing our duet "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer"

We had a few other piano pieces played too by other people.

more of the choir!
and more.......
Liam all decked out in his Christmas sweater
(don't I have the cutest grandson!)

and even a few more singing - well, some of them were singing!

Doug reading the Christmas Story to all the kids - big and small!

Helping Liam open up his present.

Carson with his pj's. Love that wink!

Here's Liam in his pj's

We wore Kris out. Too much of a good thing I guess.

So there you have just a glimpse of our Christmas Eve.

We sure enjoy having people over and sharing with them this special time.

I had so many pictures to choose from, it was hard to get these few - and it was still a long post!

(not that the pictures are great - but they brought back some great memories looking at them)

Coming up - The Alldredge 2009 Christmas Day.

It's about time I got it posted!

Before Christmas

It just doesn't seem like Christmas if we don't go see the lights at the Mesa Temple.

They have a wonderful display.

This is just one of their displays - of Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem.

In front of the shepherds - out in their fields.

(when I used a flash-the lights don't show up very good - sorry!)

Inside the visitor's center they have an amazing collection of nativities from around the world. Each year it seems like they have some different ones too.

Beautiful - aren't they!
This whole room was filled with them. I just posted a few of my pictures of them.
Mikel helping the kids make their gingerbread house.

Sitting on Santa's lap at the ward party.

Carson LOVED Santa.

We had told him he needed to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas so he could bring it to him. Well...he first saw Santa at Bass Pro Shop and told him what he wanted.

When he sat on Santa's lap at the ward party, he came into the kitchen where I was getting things ready and he was a little upset. He said, "Santa didn't give me my present. I told him what I wanted before and he didn't give it to me." Oops - I guess we didn't explain how Santa works to him very well. He finally figured it out though.

Dani talking to Santa. We had a couple of rooms for the kids to go to have stories told to them.

It was great!
One thing about being Ward Activities chairman is that I can use my family to help.

That said.....for a part of the program

Kristi was an angel, Jason a wiseman, with Matt, Xyonane, and Liam being Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Long post - I know.

That's what happens when I am so far behind.

Coming...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Do Re Mi, Stomp and Stacatto during the Holidays

Concerts - choir & band

Recitals - piano and dance

All part of what happens in November and December.

Here's just a glimpse of the few we attended

Dani's piano recital - playing a duet with her teacher of

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"

Dani's band concert. Her first year of playing the flute.

Maybe someday we could have a flute trio - Mikel, Kristi and Dani.

Carson enjoying the concert.
Kristi's dance recital - clogging. She's the one in the front.

Dani's school choir concert.

When Jeremy/Jo were down - she went to the Westwood choir concert with us to hear Jason.

At the end, they invite former choir members to come sing with them.

So - here's Jo!

And Jason in the Honor Choir. Westwood has an amazing choir!

Kristi's band concert.

Dani was invited to participate in a concert with a few 5th grade students from all the elementary schools in Mesa. She really enjoyed it!

This was just a sampling of the concerts and activities we went to in November and December.

I will have more pictures of each of the kids soon.

I am going to do an individual update about each child.

Of course that's after I get a few more things posted of the family.

So much to post.

So far behind.

But, I'm catching up - slowly but surely!