Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas!  Here are some pictures we thought you would love to see!  There are some videos to follow.  :)

 New Christmas jammies.  Even Eva got a new pair! 

 Nana made Christmas pillowcases for the kids -- they were so excited to sleep on them!  :)

 Ooooh, look at what Santa brought!

 Books from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave.  We couldn't get Alex to stop playing with his to open more presents.  Thank you!!  :)

 Here is the tool kit book from Dave & Judy -- this gift was the highlight of Christmas!  :)

 Puzzles from Aunt Laura & Uncle Ben -- we've been putting them together several times each day!  They're so cute with their new games and toys.

 Emily bought gifts for us this year at her school's holiday party.  She got Nelson a multifunctional screwdriver, knowing how much he loves tools!  She's so sweet!  :)

 Alex with his tool kit book again -- I told you he loved it!  :)

 Emily bought me a beautiful vase!

 This was the year of trains for Alex.  He got a "Thomas" friend - Jack the digger.

 Emily bought Alex a Lightning McQueen and Tow-Mater for Christmas.  She couldn't wait for him to open them!

 And Alex bought Emily a Lalaloopsy doll (the latest rage for her)!  She was soooooo excited!

 One of my favorite pictures from Christmas Day!  :)

 A new wallet for Emily (which she has already used and loves)!  She said she feels like mommy when she carries it!  :)

 We got a lot of games and puzzles this year too -- looks like we need to have another Game Night sometime soon!  :)

 Aunt Sharilyn, Uncle JT and Parker got the kids these animal and monster tattoos for their hands.  They wrap around the thumb and index finger and are absolutely adorable!  The kids insisted on having one put on as soon as gift-opening was finished!  :)

 Stachlers also got Emily this beautiful butterfly for her room.  And the Lego flashlight for Alex (below).  They know our kids so well!  :)

 GiGi painted these beautiful pictures for the kids (one of a tiger and another of a panda).  They LOVE them!  :)

 Aunt Jill made a Christmas dress for Eva.  Emily was ecstatic!  (And so was Eva!)

 Emily bought me a candle for Christmas as well.  It smells just like clean laundry! :)

 And Emily also bought Nelson a winter hat.  She was so excited for us to open these and couldn't wait to see our faces and hear what we thought of them. 

 Alex made some crafts and ornaments in preschool and wrapped them up for us as a surprise.  They will always be cherished!  :)

 Aunt Katie bought Alex this car and gears kit.  It's focused for kids older than 5, but he caught on quickly and Nelson LOVED helping him!  Like father, like son!

 Aunt Tracie bought Emily a "Fancy Nancy" art kit.  SHE WAS SQUEALING!  She's already used up one of the notepads and all of the glitter gel pens!   

 Alex got "Sir Topham Hat" for his Thomas the train set. 

 I knit Emily a hat, scarf & finger-less mits set to match her new winter coat.

 PaPa made Emily a math-balancing toy.  She's learning how to use it and will love it as she starts doing more and more math in school.

 Aunt Tracie made Emily and Alex backpacks.  Aren't they cute?!

 We bought Alex a Thomas the train set.  He just loves Thomas (any train for that matter) and couldn't wait to play with it!

 Eva got a ballerina outfit.  Emily can't wait to take her to ballet lessons this summer!  :)

 We bought Emily an emerald necklace. She wasn't so sure about it that day, but insisted on wearing it the next.

 We also bought Emily a camera.  Nothing fancy, just a point and shoot.  She's been using ours and isn't too bad.  She couldn't wait to get batteries in it and start snapping shots!

 I bought Alex a book about Freddy the platypus and his special blanket.  In the back of the book, there are knitting patterns for Freddy and a blanket (a small one for Freddy and a larger one for a child). 

 Here's Alex with his new favorite stuffed animal.  He loved them!  :)

 I couldn't pass up getting Nelson this 1 lb. Reese's PB Cup.  A must for any chocolate-peanut butter lover!

And Alex's big gift this year was a train table for his room.  We surprised him and had it set up in his room and showed it to him when we were done opening gifts.  He didn't know what was going on at first (why there was a big new toy in his room), but we caught on pretty quickly and now plays with it constantly!  :)

Thank you everyone for the gifts you sent.  The kids loved everything and have been playing with their new toys, books and games nonstop!  We hope you all had a very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!