A Very, Merry Christmas...Indeed!

Wow.  How do I condense two of the most exciting days of a toddler's life into one blog post?  I guess I can try to break it down into pieces...and then do what I do best, and just let the pictures tell the majority of the story.  Here goes - Christmas Eve morning started out like that of a scene from a picturesque movie.  Christmas carols were blaring in the background.  Everyone was full of smiles.  And cookies were freshly baked just for Santa.  (Peanut Butter M&M cookies per Santa's special request!)  It was perfect.  One of my absolute most favorite family memories ever.

Ready to make some cookies for the big guy! 

 And my little baker loved to help every, single step of the way.

 Of course, we couldn't forget about the reindeer food...

...which he loved making too! 

After a simple lunch and a nice, long nap, it was time to make our way over to Cody's dad and step-mom's house for their annual Christmas party!  The whole family was there, and we had a wonderful time opening presents, eating dinner, and visiting with them all.

 All four of us at Christmas Eve!

 

 Tearing into his first present...

...and then falling in love with the last!

 

Somehow, someway, we managed to keep Hayes awake on the drive home...which was critical because Christmas Eve was not over yet!  There was still so much to do in order to get ready for our special visitor that night.  First order of business was getting ready for bed and putting on Christmas jammos!  Next up was saying good-bye to our house guest for the past twenty-four days.  Hayes was beyond thrilled to finally be able to touch his dear elf, and he smothered him in hugs and kisses before setting him by the fireplace to return to the North Pole with Santa.  Speaking of which, the last thing Hayes had to do before getting all snug in his bed was to throw out the reindeer food and set out the big guy's milk and cookies.  Super important!

 

 Saying his good-byes to the elf...

 

...tossing out the reindeer food...

...and then putting out cookies and milk for Mr. C himself.

Christmas morning started off bright and early!  Cody was so sweet and woke up with the dawn to check and make sure that Santa had come.  And of course, he had.  So then, Cody proceeded to toss and turn and cough and clear his throat until the whole house was awake with him.  And boy, are we glad that he did!  Hayes was adorable in his half-sleep stumbles as he wandered out into the living room and saw all of his goods.  That morning, he played with each and every toy...and has not stopped since!

Wait - Where did the cookies and milk go??



 Santa must have come!!

 

 Hayes playing with his new goodies...

 

 ...and then posing with ALL of his loot!

 

You may think that the Christmas day fun stops here...but nope!  After a quick banana and chocolate chip waffle breakfast (Hayes's favorite!), we drove on over to Cody's grandpa's house to continue with the annual family traditions - presents, daiquiris, and lunch.  In that order.   All three of us were beyond blessed with sooo many wonderful gifts, but as always, the greatest gift of all was another beautiful holiday together as a family!

MORE presents at Grandpa's house! 

Cheers to a very, merry Christmas!

(Note - The daiquiris Hayes and I imbibed on were non-alcoholic.  Cody's?  Not so much.)