Baby’s First Christmas!

I’m kind of late for this link up, so I think it’s closed now, but I’m doing it anyway!  It’s been a busy week, and I didn’t get on the computer much.  I have been going to bed way too late, and even now it’s 12:15am, but I am posting this, even though I should be sleeping.  This will also be a very photo heavy post!

I’ll start by talking about our Christmas weekend, then onto the pictures!  On Christmas Eve, we always go to church and then head over to my parents neighbor, who is also the mother-in-law to my mom’s second cousin (follow that?), to eat, socialize and exchange gifts.  We skipped church this year (bad Christians, I know) because we had to go to the neighbor’s earlier than usual so we could still get Bean home at a reasonable time for bed.  Hubby’s family was also coming that evening, so we had to get home to them as well.  On Christmas Day, we always go to eat at a local restaurant that serves a Christmas Day buffet, and my grandmother kindly pays for everyone’s meal.  We eat yummy food until we’re so stuffed we can’t move, and then usually we would head to her house to exchange gifts.  Another change in plans this year – since my in-laws were here, we couldn’t all go to my grandmother’s place due to space, so everyone came back to our house for the afternoon to open presents.  Bean loved ripping the wrapping paper!  He also wanted to eat it, but everything goes into his mouth these days!  And as for the gifts?  He’s not spoiled much, no sir…  ;)

Here’s a recap of our holiday season through photos:

  Bean’s very first meeting with Santa!  He didn’t cry or get upset at all.  He likes everyone!   :)

Shots from our Christmas card photo shoots:

With some outtakes:

“Mom, what are these things on my feet!?”

Bean’s second meeting with an old-fashioned Santa (The baton group I teach for had a fundraiser night at a local Friendly’s, so we also offered pictures with Santa – so please excuse the crane game in the background, it was a small place with nowhere else to put Santa):

  

 

 

Christmas Day:

Bean’s stocking – it will be personalized with his name, and a few embellishments added, but I didn’t have time to do it before Christmas, so I will have to get it done before it gets put away.  We plan to actually use the letter to Santa pocket when he is older.  We will get him to put his letter in there early, and then we will buy an Elf on the Shelf, and tell him that the Elf will take the letter to Santa when he reports back, that way we can see his letter early, and he knows where it disappeared to.

 

 

 

 

 

This picture does not do justice to the amount of presents there were.

 Bean wearing mommy’s Santa hat.

“Oh boy, I’m rich!”  (This was one of 2 $50 bills.  We think we are going to create an ING savings account for him and deposit this money.)

  Riding his new rocking horse from my aunt.  One of his bigger gifts this year.

The gifts:

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He got a few books, some clothes, the very cute bear paw mittens, and toys consisting of the rocking horse, a V-Tech laptop, V-Tech steering wheel, V-Tech monkey jungle, V-Tech nursery rhyme “book”, ball poppin’ dino, Tumble Fun Park, Crawl Along Snail, an Eeyore rattle (obviously my choice), a stuffed Grover (because Hubby likes him best), his very own baby smart phone, a taggie blanket, some teethers, the bumble bee, a Hess truck and race car, a fire truck ornament, and not shown here is a wooden wagon from my mom.  Along with the $100!  See?  Not really spoiled…   ;)

Hubby and I received restaurant gift cards to Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden/Red Lobster, and Outback.  We also received cash, and a few baby’s first Christmas ornaments.  He received a batman computer game from his brother, the new Zelda Wii game and some underwear from me, a Roku 2 for our bedroom from me and my parents, a programmable thermostat from my parents, and I received a baby bullet system from my in-laws (can’t wait to try it out!), a cell phone case and car charger from my parents, and of course the cell phone itself and Harry Potter DVD collection from Hubby that I got earlier this month.

It was a very nice Christmas, and I’m kind of sad that it’s over.  From here on it’s just dreary, drab winter that lasts way too long.  But I will always remember Bean’s first Christmas!  :)

And here’s my little family (minus the cats, who got a stuffed sushi tray for Christmas):

Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!  Bean’s 6 month post coming next – half a year old already!