Christmas Day

**I am having trouble with Blogger and the spacing.....and it's driving me nuts!  Is anyone else having this issue?**

**I was just going through my posts, and realized that this one was never published!  I swear I hit "publish post" but apparently it never did.  So, better late than never, here is the Christmas post!**

Christmas Day, 2011.......whew, where do I even begin?  It was an amazing day, to sum things up.  But, allow me to elaborate a bit.
Christmas morning started out with just the 3 of us.  Carl and I got up early, and got ready, in preparation to wake up our little Wee Lad, so he could check out what Santa brought him.  When we walked into the living room, and Carson spotted a kitchen setting in front of the tree, the rest was history.  He was smiling from ear to ear, talking a lot of gibberish, and went right to work.  He had to check out everything that this kitchen had to offer.  All the doors that opened, and the noises it made.  We later found that these secret little doors would be a very nice hiding spot for Carson's things.  And, come to find out....our items as well.  The remote, our phones....they have been spotted in the kitchen already.  Carson had several other presents under the tree from Dad and Mom, that he wanted nothing to do with.  This kitchen was way too much fun to pay attention to clothes, and other boring things that would be hidden behind the wrapping paper.  The only gift he thought was amusing enough to stop playing with his kitchen for, was a set of Nerf guns.  I don't know who was more excited.....Carl or Carson!  They instantly started shooting at each other, and the laughter that filled the air is music to this Mama's ears.  Carson was full of smiles, laughter, joy, and peace.  He now responds with "Thank You" after everything, and he said it the second he saw his kitchen, and his other toys.  That makes my heart melt, instantly.

I got spoiled again this year by my lovely hubby, as I got a new laptop!  I am so thrilled with it, and he did an amazing job picking it out.  Our other laptop was having a lot of issues, and was about ready to go through hard-drive #2 in just 3 short years!  This new one has a lot bigger hard-drive, so I will have plenty of space to store all of my pictures. 

After our Christmas, we were off to my parent's house for some more fun!  Let's just say one thing:  We are spoiled!  My Mom always outdoes herself, and is an amazing gift giver.  Along with everyone else we received gifts from.  Baby Boy Brouwer got his first Christmas gifts, and they are nothing shy of the cutest things ever.  He got a few outfits, and it gets me even more anxious for him to be here, to fill these adorable clothes that are just waiting for him.

I would say that Carson's favorite gift that he got at Grandpa Gary and Frannie's house would be his grocery cart.  He loves to haul things around the house, and you never know what you will find in his wagons at home.  So now we have another spot to look for hidden gems at home :)  He is so funny toting around the house, as he picks up random things to place into his cart.

Our big gift that we received this year was a double stroller.  It will come in handy next Summer after the little one is here, and we want to go and do things with both of the kiddos!  I am so excited to use it.  Let the fun begin with two little Wee Lads :)

Natalie was as cute as can be in her Santa outfit, and she loved her new jumper that she got from Frannie and Grandpa Gary!

Carson (and the other grandkids) got a new table from the Amish.  It is the neatest table, and so beautiful!  Carson also got a lego table from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kasey that we decided to take home.  So, the nice table is staying at Frannie's house!

Kasey got a BIG jar of pickles that she seemed pretty excited about.  She is pregnant, if you are wondering :) 

I drew my brother's name for Christmas this year, and he seems to get more difficult to buy for every year.  So, a basket full of goody- bucket food is what the gift was this year.  He loved it, and I know it is a practical and useful gift.  Win-win in my world! 

Carl got a Bengals t-shirt.  Or, should I say another Bengals shirt.  He loves to get new Bengals attire, so he was very happy with his gift!

Carson gets very hot easily, and he isn't bashful to get stripped down to nothing but his diaper!  So, that is how he spent most of Christmas morning.......in nothing but his diaper.

G&G Larson were also able to join us for a while Christmas morning.  They were there to enjoy the delicious brunch that us kids pulled off. 

By the end of this Christmas, the back of our van was FULL of goodies.  We are so blessed, and overjoyed with everything.
After Carson got a short nap at Frannie and Grandpa Gary's, we were off to another Christmas celebration.....G&G Brouwers.  We ate some more munchies, another meal, and we were prepping ourselves for another round of presents.  Carson was a little off that night, as I feel the busy/tiring day was catching up with him.  He was rather whiney the whole night, super clingy, and didn't want much to do with the other kids or presents.  So, we had to improvise a bit.  We stayed towards the back of the room, instead of being in the middle of all the action.  We let Carson open presents at his own pace, and assisted him with a few.  We let him do his own thing, in an attempt to keep the whining at a minimum.  It worked....sort of.

This would be our attempt at getting all of the grandkids in one picture.  They are all there, just not all looking, as you can see.  Carson was not thrilled about taking a picture, and Baby Tyler is hiding in the chair behind Kennedy.

Kennedy was SO excited about their Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma.  A new kitty! 

We were there for munchies, another round of food, presents, and good company.  The kiddos always have so much fun together, especially opening gifts.  After a few hours at their house, we called it a night.  Carson was exhausted, as I think we all were.  But, we wouldn't have it any other way.  The fact that we have so many family members to see and be with, is truly something to be thankful for.  We said our good byes, and after we got home, we all crashed.
The day after Christmas was all about putting away, cleaning, organizing, and more putting away.  Carl and I had our work cut out to try and find space for all of Carson's new toys.  We re-arranged the basement a little bit, and made Carson's "toy room" a bit more user friendly.  He now has his own little area, and I have a feeling we are going to be spending a lot of time downstairs.

This was Carson's 3rd Christmas, which seems so bizarre to think about it.  Not to mention, it is our last Christmas as a family of 3.  Now that is something to get excited about!
We are so thankful, and truly blessed beyond words this Christmas Season.  We can't dish out enough "Thank-yous" to everyone, as to show how grateful we are for everything.  Not to mention, for the true reason of this wonderful Season!

Another Christmas has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that we can't still be Joyful.
A new year is upon us, and as crazy as it seems that 2011 is coming to a close, we are so thrilled to see what the new year will bring for our family.

I hope that you all had a Wonderful Christmas!  Peace on Earth, to all of my family and friends.