Merry Christmas!

Jackson woke up around 6:15 this morning. The first thing he asked me was if Santa has already come because he did not hear the reindeer on the roof. He was so excited that he woke up Brooks.  Down the stairs they went.  Jackson was so excited. Brooks was still tired and was still in a fog!

They were both really excited about the Polar Express train that goes around the tree. Jackson opened his presents really quickly. Brooks took his time.  We had to make him finish opening all of his. They both wanted to play with everything as they opened it.  Jackson was sweet and wrapped up some toys for Brooks to open. He was so excited to give him a gift.  Both boys were sad that Buddy left, but he did leave them a note and a special present.

Noni and Papa Jerry came over and ate cinnamon rolls with us. The boys were excited to show off all of their presents. They also got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa.  The boys had a few hours to play before we left for all of our family events.

We went to Noni and Papa Jerry's first.  Jackson dug into his presents, and we had to make Brooks open his. The boys were really excited to get a John Deere tractor to ride on at Noni's.

We went to Joyce and Ernie's house next. We ate lasagna and yummy banana pudding. The boys had a great time playing with Kelin. They had to the most fun balling up tissue paper and throwing it at each other!

We ended the night at Luvi's house in Greenville. Brooks was excited to go to her house. The boys had fun playing with Will and Thatcher. Of course, they got into Luvi's CVS stash. They opened their presents, and then Santa came for a visit.  Jackson hopped right up there. It took Brooks awhile, but then he joined in too. The boys went to get cookies for Santa, and he left while they were looking for cookies.  The boys were so funny! They ran out the front door yelling for Santa to come back. Poor Brooks spent the rest of the night telling everyone, "He gone. Santa one." He seriously told everyone there at least 5 times. They found some spotlights in the sky that they thought might be Santa.  They dragged everyone out there to look at them.  People would ask them where Santa was, and Brooks would say, "I not know."We got in the car, and Brooks was still talking about Santa.

We had such a wonderful day with family.  We are so blessed to have so many people who love our boys. They had such a magical day. Christmas has been so fun this year because the boys are at such a great age.  They love all of the magic!

Christmas Eve

We woke up to Buddy swinging from the ceiling fan in the kitchen. He even brought the boys a good-bye present- a box of decorated cookies straight from the North Pole!

We spent most of this rainy day in our pajamas! I finished up our cinnamon rolls.  Then the boys and I made cookies for Santa. They loved using the cookie cutters. Brooks ate most of the icing.  Jackson really liked putting the icing on the cookies. Brooks loved pouring tons of sprinkles on his cookies.

Jackson has been so excited all week, and he cannot wait until Santa comes.  He has decided to sleep upstairs though because he does not want Santa to "peek at him" while he is sleeping!

We Zoomed with Susie and Emma today.  Then it was time to get ready for church. Brooks refused to nap but of course fell asleep on the way.  Thankfully one of his buddies was already in the nursery, so he was fine. We sat in the balcony so we could enjoy the beauty of the candlelight service.  Jackson spent most of the time jumping off the step, so I am not sure that was the best idea. He kept asking when we were going to light the candles over and over! When it finally came time, he was really nervous to hold his candle. That is the first time he has been that close to a candle (other than on a birthday cake!). He would hold it for a few seconds and then pass it to one of us.  It was very sweet. That is one of my favorite services of the entire year.

We enjoyed shrimp and grits for dinner. Noni and Papa Jerry came over. We attempted some pictures, but Brooks was not in the best mood since he went without a nap!  The boys did have fun putting out the cookies for Santa. We also through our reindeer food outside. We read the story of Jesus's birth from their Jesus Calling bible. Then both boys fell asleep really quickly. Jackson did wake up in the middle of the night asking me about the reindeer food!

Atlanta

Today we went on our annual trip to Atlanta to see Santa.  We had to go later this year since we went to Disney World.

We stopped at Mall of Georgia too and made stops at the Disney Store, and we bought Jackson new shoes. Then we went to Phipps Plaza for our appointment to see Santa. Both boys smiled, and they got some of the best pictures.  It is totally worth the headache to get those great pictures.

We had planned to ride the Pink Pig, but traffic was crazy, and the line for the Pink Pig was insane!  Jackson was very upset, but we stopped at Bass Pro Shop and rode the carousel instead. That seemed to satisfy him!

It has been raining all week, and we hit a lot of traffic on the way home. We were glad Noni and Papa Jerry could come with us!

Greenville

We went to the Children's Museum today.  We haven't been in forever!  The boys had a great time, and of course they got wet at the water tables!

We ate lunch at Jackson's favorite grilled cheese place. Then we took advantage of the cloudy but not raining day and walked downtown. We went to the Festival of Trees at the Hyatt. Brooks wanted to look more than touch. We also stopped by the toy store, popcorn place, and watched the ice skating. Of course, no trip would be complete without going to Costco.

When we got home, I took the boys to a local church where they set up a nativity scene. Brooks loved seeing all of the animals. Jackson was not impressed!