The Christmas aftermath

We had such a wonderful holiday this past week. My family traveled up to spend it with us. There was lots of food, hot toddys, and no cards! We were all so worn out by the end of the night, we all opted for bedtime. Christmas morning was so much fun. Luke kept Emmett busy while the rest of us got ready and in place for the grand entrance into the living room where Santa had left way to many presents(Emmett was not THAT good this year!). There was a huge bear sitting at a table and chairs right where Emmett walked in. Mom and I had cameras going-one on video and the other snapping pictures! He looked very confused and almost worried. It took a bit til he got into present mode. We had to take a nap time break around 9am. While Emmett napped, the rest of us opened our presents and enjoyed a bountiful breakfast feast and bubbly mimosas. We also decided to put away a few presents that Luke and I got for Emmett til his birthday. He was already seeming to be overwhelmed and really could wait on a few of the gifts. When he awoke, we finished the rest of the gifts and played all day. It turns out Luke and I gave him the most annoying gift. We were sure it was going to be the talking Elmo. The talking Handy Manny tool set is soooo very irritating(a big thanks goes out to cousin Trish for finding the tools at Kohls!). We had crown roast of pork for dinner. It turned out very pretty and delicious too. Of course the fixings with it were good, but the pork was really the star of the show. I wish I had taken a picture before we tore into it.

Luke and Chrissy braved the freezing temps and blowing snow to spend the morning after Christmas at Red Lodge Mountain. The slopes were covered with about 4-5 inches of fresh powder! The rest of us came up to meet them for beers and lunch afterwards.

Saturday, "the girls" went post-christmas shopping in Billings. We left the "boys" to fend for themselves for the day. We hit many stores and saved tons of cash with the sales going on. We came home with a pretty loaded car. I actually got most stocking stuffers and a few gifts checked of the list for next year!

Mark had his 60th birthday this weekend! Wish we could have been there to celebrate! Wishing you a happy healthy birthday and many more to come!

Now the house is quiet as Mom, Dad, Chrissy, Ken and the dog Holly drove home yesterday. The house is cleaned , laundry is finally done, and I don't plan on cooking for the rest of the week due to the amount of leftovers in the fridge. Back to plain, old normal. See you all in a few weeks!

Playing with Uncle Ken's gift

Eating Santa's cookies

Playing outside in the cold

Christmas eve gift

Christmas morning

Merry Christmas everyone! Here is just the beginning glimpse of Christmas morning at the Anderson home.....

Christmas is coming...

I held a Christmas cookie play date on Wednesday that was a ton of fun. It was the ladies that normally get together and have play dates along with a few extra moms. Everyone brought a plate of cookies and their appetites! The cookies were delicious and we had a nice spread of dips, chips and other munchies. The kids were very well behaved and all played so nicely together. When nap time became apparent for many kiddos, everyone pitched in and helped pick up toys and headed for home. We will definitely have a second annual Christmas Cookie play date next year.

I finally got my Christmas cards in the mail and Luke and I stayed up to address them last night so they could go out this morning. I am so far behind this year..... We have gotten so many great cards in the mail. Wonderful family photos and beautiful wedding photos, and even a cute pop-up card from Great Grandma Yorty(Emmett has already demolished that one)!

All the presents are finally wrapped! That took a bit. I had to wait until nap time so I didn't have any help! At the cookie party, somebody had gotten into the closet where some of the gifts were stored. They had pulled out Emmett's presents(not wrapped at the time!) and Emmett and another little boy were playing with them. At least I know he will enjoy them Christmas morning! We can't have any presents under the tree until at least Christmas eve. Emmett just tears into them. This should be a really great Christmas!

Amy graduates from the Police Academy today! A big congrats goes out to her for all of her hard work and dedication. Sorry we can't be there, but you know we are behind you all the way!

Heat Wave!

Enough said.

Cold and Blustery day

It has been snowing since this morning and is now about 1 degree outside. Today was the Cody Christmas celebration...most of it outdoors! Needless to say we skipped most of it(ok, all of it). We went into town to pick up a few items at the grocery store for the weekend and then had lunch at the mexican place. It was a pretty snow in town, not blowing sideways like at our house. We had a pretty uneventful week, but a few funny pictures came out of it. The first one is of Emmett asleep in a precarious spot. He would not take a nap for me. So I let him run himself out and thought I would move him to the crib. He fell asleep under the coffee table. I would have had to move the coffee table to carry him to his crib, so I let him sleep on the floor. He woke up with a huge print of the rug on his cheek! At least I got an hour of peace.

The video is hysterical. I think it was from Monday and it had snowed the night before. So we were kinda home bound for the day. We did go outside for a few minutes, but mostly stayed inside. Emmett and I built forts out of blankets and the couches. I basically felt like I was a kid on a snow day. Not sure why I thought riding on Emmett's sit and spin would be a good idea, but it sure makes for a funny video for when Emmett and I showed Daddy later that night! Emmett laughs and giggles the whole time. I think cause he can't make it spin, it must be pretty fun! I bet I can get my sister to take it for a ride when she is here for Christmas......

Grammy and Poppy sent Emmett a musical card that sings Holly, Jolly Christmas when you open it. He loves those cards. They also sent some stickers that you get for free in the mail around this time. I think he loved those even more. I helped him take them off the sheet, but placed them where he wanted. He started with his coloring book and moved on to a bigger canvas....daddy's shirt! Luke was covered with them. It was a pretty cute sight!

Lastly, he has wanted something for the corner of the counter all morning long. Finally we figured out it was an apple in the fruit bowl. Luke got one of them out and started cutting it into pieces. That started a tantrum so we gave him another apple to carry around and that seemed to solve the problem. He wanted to eat it himself. Such an independent! He lost interest after a few bites but worth it for the kodak moment! Hope you all are enjoying the weekend so far. I catch up with everyone next week!