Save Anna Smiles

We hope Anna always has smiles like this. -T

Enjoying the New Toys

Post-Christmas we were all enjoying our new toys...-T

Dad was enjoying Josh and the Big Wall (specifically the Song of the Cebu) and enjoying it with the girls

Mae was enjoying her additional zoo animals, so much that she didn't even notice Mom doing her hair (or she's just  REALLY sweaty)

Anna was enjoying locating the camera, and Mae was also enjoying her new kitchen area in the  family room

And Mom was hiding enjoying her new iPod in peace. =)

Christmas 2012!

As always, Christmas was a very full and tiring day, but it was filled with lots of fun and happiness!  If there was any sadness or drama, we don't have any pictures to remember it by so I want to say that there was none. -T

Christmas Morning...

Not a bad start to the day when we got them BOTH to smile at the same time!

I want to say they look better than the scary pictures of me when I was a kid on Christmas morning

Enough with the pictures, let's get this party started!

From peas in her stocking to goldfish

Anna's First Christmas

Playing dress-up

Mae sharing her new doll

Happy Anna

Doesn't EVERYONE just LOVE Veggie Tales?  Josh and the Big Wall!

More zoo animals!

Already starting to line them up - so organized.

I was ALMOST able to take a picture without Anna noticing

Pausing the morning for a quick read

Anna!  You don't have to smile for EVERY picture!

Wanting to open "the big one!"

Buuuut...it freaked Mae out so Anna had to open it by herself (it was for the both of them)

Once it was opened - Mae did like it.  Mae played with her new toys...

...while Anna smiled for pictures.

I said, "Mae played with her new toys..."

"...while Anna smiled for pictures." 

Combining her toys into a great imaginary world

The bed was supposed to be for her new doll, but maybe she was already worn out for the day.

Off to Aunt Beth's...

Eyein' down Big Nate...or where he's going with that gift

Mae's no dummy - she knows who passes out the gifts

Enjoying the atmosphere

Enjoying others' gifts - and getting a little rest

Most people relaxing, Morgan and Mae wrestling, and I honestly can't figure out what Papa D's doing.  

The "no look" smile for the camera - or just having fun with Kylie an Uncle Brian

Mom getting a needed break...and Anna finding the camera JUST in time

Back home for a little more...

Papa D and Grandma Weez had dropped off their gifts beforehand

It goes perfect with their new kitchen

Mae's excitement could not be contained

What a great Christmas!  And we even ended the day getting Anna NOT to smile!

Christmas Eve Messes

Nothing like kids making messes.  However, one of our children seems to enjoy messes more than the other.  -T

It's a Christmas Eve massacre!  She did NOT like finger painting - even if it was going to be a gift for a grandparent.  Whereas Mae hates messes...

...Anna loves them!

Or just knows when to smile for the camera

Overrated Gingerbread Housing

We busted out a gingerbread kit that we had.  It was fun at first and I even tried to let my OCD go and let Mae just put stuff wherever she wanted to (not easy).  Eventually, it just got boring, and I realized that all the great gingerbread houses that we had at my house when I was younger was just fine by me that my mom just did it without our help. Oh, and we never really did take a "finished product" picture.  I'm not sure why but I'll just say it's probably because it was never finished and we got distracted by Mae's bedtime - best guess. -T

Anna didn't last, but at least she made it one picture

What you see done here is about as far as we got before we started getting bored

Me showing off my patience

Mom made a Christmas tree...Mae decorated the tree.

The first gingerbread man she pulled out was broken (see: head on roof), so she was disappointed when the second gingerbread man didn't match that of the first as wasn't broken

I guess we could have broken it for her...we were done anyway

Our Christmas Best

We decided to dress Sunday best for Christmas this year.  Well that's not true, we just took some family pictures on the Sunday before Christmas after church since everyone looked so nice. -T

It's hard to get them to smile at the same time...actually, it's just hard to get Mae to smile instead of looking at Anna smiling

Not too bad

Ah boy

Mom and the girls

Anna doesn't smile as easy with just a timer

C'mon Anna!  We can't just get Mae to smile normal like this very many times!

Smile Mae!  C'mon!

We give up

Is it just me or have the girls gotten taller?  My other thought was, "Maybe  they'll get a 'teammate-sister' picture like this one day."