Merry Christmas! 2008, part 2

Christmas morning was amazing. The sheer joy and amazement on Nate's face was so infectious, it didn't take long before we all had big happy sappy grins on our faces. I'll spare you those pictures... trust me, a super cheesin' Jenn in PJs first thing in the morning is not a pretty sight. :)
Instead, I'll share some much more adorable pictures of Nate and family.

Nate checking out the plate and cup leftover from Santa's late night snack. He had gotten to help me make the cookies for Santa the night before and he was very excited about it.

Nate was so cute digging in to his stocking...

Nate's really into puzzles and wanted to stop opening presents to play... it took a bit of convincing, but the prospect of bigger and better presents finally got him moving on.

Like this playdoh, which we play with almost everyday. Did I mention everyday?

Checking out a giftcard from Nana and Poppy D... what oh what shall I get? Nate hopes his TN grandparents will be able to come see him soon!

Opening presents nearly as tall as me is great fun...

Christmas dinner at mom's house with all my siblings. It's so great when we can all get together.

My sister, Tracy, and her daughter, Syndey.

My brother, Brian, and Mike.

My brother, Joshua.

We had a really great Christmas both at home and with extended family. It's amazing how having a toddler can truly bring the magic back to Christmas. It's like we get to have both sides of the story. We get to watch as Nate unwraps each present, delight in his expressions and excitement. His overwhelming happiness is the best gift I've ever received. Then when we go over to my mom's house and spend Christmas afternoon with my siblings, eating all my mom's homemade comfort foods of our childhood, joking and laughing together, sharing gifts and stories. Then we all came back to my house and my Dad and Stepmom and brothers came over to spend Christmas night together. I'm unsure how we fit so many people in our house, but we do, and it's great. The kids all play, the adults got to act like kids and played a board game. It's just so great to spend a whole day with all the people in your life that you love the most. I love my family. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 2008, part 1

Christmas time at the Hammond house was filled with lots of visiting, and to Nate's delight, presents. :)

And most of all, love.

Nate and his 'sissy' (his cousin Samantha) sharing a sweet moment.

Niece Sydney and Mike sharing a sweet moment as well.... that or they are staring each other down in a contest of wills...

Sweet Sydney being adorable as usual.

Nate enjoying dinner with his cousins, Sydney and Kaylee. Nate's picnic table definitely came in handy with limited table space in a very crowded kitchen.

Whether at my mom's house or my house, fun was had by all. The Wii was a big favorite... See how happy Mike is? I'm quite sure I've seen this same grin somewhere recently...

Oh that's right, it's the same grin that Nate had EVERYtime he opened a present. :)

More evidence.

And this brings us to quite possibly the best present ever. Well the best and the biggest. My sister and brother in law decided to grab the title of BEST AUNT AND UNCLE EVER. See the excitement on the kids faces, and the inflatable bounce house wasn't even fully inflated yet.

Loads of fun was had by any and all children under the 150 pound limit.


Here's a picture of our Christmas tree, mere minutes after Santa had come...
The next post will reveal what exactly was in those packages, and more Christmastime pictures.