Flashback Friday!

This week last year our annual Christmas Card went out.....

Here's Last years...

(before cropping)

Did anyone get the updated one yet......

I love Christmas Cards!

Who am I kidding?

I LOVE Christmas!

It really IS the most wonderful time of the year.

Merry Christmas!

I was going to put our Holiday extravaganza into one blog.....but so much happened...I had to do Christmas on it's own.

I woke up first on Christmas Morning.

I came down and started the coffee and did all the finishing touches.

Here are all my siblings sleeping peacefully.....

( I really need a bigger home...)

Christmas morning started out just like any other...

A little Chaotic...

Fun stocking stuffers...

And cool gifts....

That everyone had to try out....

And then....

It happened....

My baby brother proposed to one of my best friends....

She said yes!

So we put Christmas on pause to celebrate!

Here it is!

He proposed with a charm bracelet from Tiffany.

The Heart Charm said I love you, I love you, I love you on one side, and when you flipped it over

By the time she read it he was on one knee.....

So cute!

The kids were adorable with their gifts.  Madeline could not get enough of her dolls and her new doll stroller.  She also was completely in love with her new shoes from MiMi (coming to a blog header near you) and her new tricycle.

Complete with phone.

Clayton did very well.....

He was SO surprised when he opened his big gift....

It was even engraved...

:)

The Boys loved their matching helicopters

Brit enjoyed displaying her ring with every gift she opened...

Jack was very patient with his sister and showed her how to correctly use her gifts.

Benny and Clay got their annual matching outfits.

(Brit and I really have to stop shopping together...)

Jack loved EVERYTHING!

As for me...

I didn't do too shabby either....

Every girl loves a little blue box!

This camera is so tiny!  I love it....

Hooray for Knee socks!!!

My MIL bid and won on a Girls night for me at a recent benefit she went to.  An evening of shopping for me and my friends at Seven for all Mankind in downtown Walnut Creek.  It's a private event where they close the store for us, and give us one on one attention complete with free alterations for all our purchases, and a gift card for me to have a shopping spree.

So thoughtful! So Nice!

And for my biggest surprise, Gram wrapped up this for me...

It's from her tree.  

As a child I would lay on the arm of the couch and spin the dancers leg and watch the ornament twirl and twirl.  I have always loved this ornament. It's the first one I look for on her tree, and even to this day when no one is looking, I still spin the leg and watch her twirl.  This year, when Gram's tree was up I looked and looked on the tree for the ornament.  I couldn't find it!  I turned to Gram and said "Where is she?!"  She knew exactly what I meant, and just shrugged her shoulders and said she couldn't find it this year......then tonight....it was wrapped up for me.

YAY!

Gram also bought Madeline this....

for her room.

(I kind of want it for me...)

It's Cinderella's dress form, and when the doors are opened, Prince Charming and Cinderella spin and dance as it plays "So this is Love" OMG. LOVE IT.

The day went on and so did the planning.....

Poor Brit.  She doesn't stand a chance against Mom and Me.

(We've been planning this wedding in our heads for YEARS!)

I even cooked the prime rib perfectly!

Such a great day.

Love my Family.

Love my life.

So, so Blessed.

Merry Christmas from this crazy blogger to you!

(behind the scene photo compliments of Mom)

A whirlwind Holiday....

Okay. 

Prepare yourself.

It's gonna be a long one.

Christmas started on December 23rd for the Kirbyface Clan.

My side of the family gets together every year before Christmas for our annual gift exchange and Holiday dinner.  

Instead of choosing names we do a white elephant exchange.

It get's pretty cutthroat.

:)

This year, I picked the worst number.

But I picked an awesome gift!

And then it was stolen! 

So I had to pick again....

and that was stolen too!

 I ended up with a Coffee Press.

For Clay.

Oh well.....

Best gift idea goes to my brother Benny. 

The Shake weight.

Which Pop Won.

Hilarious!

All my brothers were there....so of course there was a sibling photo....

This is the best one of the 500 my mother took.

(It's clear that I get my photo addiction from my Mother.....I feel her pain in the difficulty of capturing the perfect photo of her children....)

Just for fun....here are the outtakes...

None of us are looking at the right camera...and Nick's gotta get that important text out!

Lord...

No idea what Nick and Ben are doing...but Chris thinks it's funny....

We played a nice friendly game of Cranium....

Boys against Girls.

The boys won.

Because they cheated.

:)

When I went to turn the Christmas lights off out front

This is what I found

Maybe it was too cold and he wanted to come in.....

On to Christmas Eve!

(are you still with me.....I told you it would be a long one!)

We usually spend Christmas Eve with Clay's parents.

(love their house so much-perfect Christmas tree window-Don't you think?)

Crab for dinner, of course!

The kids opened their gifts

I'm not sure who loved the Paper Jam more...

Jack...

or Gumpy.

:)

Jack scored this year!

Buzz Lightyear wings!

Daddy had to help put them on...

A trampoline!

Yay!

Maddie-girl made out like a bandit too, however, she was not so interested in the whole present opening business...she would rather play with MiMi's glasses....

I did get a sibling photo!

Whoo hoo!

Even Trig was spoiled this year....

Once we returned home, we got cookies ready for Santa!

And carrots for the reindeer....

Christmas is always at my house.

My brothers all come and spend the night and we all wake up together and open our gifts.

I love it.

So much.

It's so nice to hang with them, and be kids together. 

(it's also so nice to have extra help for Santa gift assembling)

our night always, always.. starts with this

Love TBS.

Here's how I left the room when I finally went to bed on Christmas Eve....

Next up.

Christmas!