Merry Christmas!

Better late then never...here's the famed Christmas post!

Merry Christmas Eve...Yes...we worked on the garden Christmas Eve and it was 70 degrees and sunny...Katelyn was wearing shorts! :)

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  My first Christmas away from my lovely Layton home, but it went better then I expected and I came away with few tears! :)

Mike's family came into town on the Monday before Christmas.  The San Antonio crew made the drive, and Meg and Ell made the plane trip from Maryland. We missed Jenny, and Becky and Chris and the girls, and Elder Paul, (who is serving his mission in Alabama...it was fun to talk to him on Christmas day!).

We hung out and played games...a MUST with the Williams Clan...and made candy and cookies and yummy food.  Christmas Eve dinner was a Mexican feast, with Mom's famous homemade tamales, and enchiladas, and flan and total yumminess!  And for all you Utahans who battled the crazy snow, it was 70 degrees and sunny here! We enjoyed a lovely BBQ on Christmas day as a new Texas tradition.

Singing Christmas songs around the piano. This is one Christmas tradition that we are CERTAINLY going to make sure we do in our family each year.  It's neat! (Not sure what Mike and Linda are looking at...)

Just about to open our Christmas Eve present from my Mom and Dad...could it be...I wonder...is it possibly PJ's! :)

My Sexy Engineer Man, doing what he does best...put together complicated and crazy Kitchens for Christmas Morning. This was one of those, holy cow, I can't believe we're actually parents moments.  Crazy!

Rolling Tamales for Christmas Even Dinner! Yum!

Christmas Eve Tradition: Acting out the Nativity.  Here's Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus...Katelyn had a hard time sharing her baby doll for the play--and yeah right she would sit long enough to be the baby Jesus.  I was in fits of giggles the whole play...it was great!

Christmas morning was great!  Katelyn got a GREAT kitchen from Grandma and Grandpa Craven, and between that and the stuffed monkey from Aunt Jenny, she was completely satisfied.  I got new luggage (yeah for trips to Utah!) and the best present...a dutch oven!

*Side note...in my family, it quantity not necessarily quality, although my parents always come through with greatness!  Our budget this year for each other was tight, and the theme was for it to be something that we could use as an outing or date or adventure.  I had 9 presents under the tree from Mike, all specially coded like we do.  The first...To my Ogress, from your Ogre....The Second...To the Root of my Happiness, from This eye's on you.  You get the jist.  The first was an onion, the second a potato.  I went on to open onion soup mix, tin foil, peaches, cake mix, butter, etc, etc, until I got the the dutch oven! It was awesome!  I can't wait to use it!

Mike got a garden themed Christmas...money for composting worms and the wonder that is vermiculite.  Meg kept commenting how strange the presents were, but it was great!

Katelyn checking out the Christmas Loot!

My dutch oven packages!

Christmas morning festivities!

Christmas morning we came out to these extra packages sitting in our living room.  Mom and Dad Williams didn't bring them, I didn't bring them and Mike hadn't put them out.  Nobody was fessing up...only to find out that my dear friend Elena had snuck them into my house at midnight...they were the presents from my parents! It was a great surprise and reminded me of Christmases at home where there were always new things out in the morning! Thanks guys!

Katelyn hanging out in her new Christmas PJ's

The Franchise...A really cool thermometer!

Meg's Quilt that I made for Christmas...

Puppies....roof, roof, roof, roof!

More Games!!

The Jewelry Box that we made Mike's mom...

A Kitchen, A Puppy, a Table...Oh my!

We played more games and did some shopping the rest of the weekend, and then everybody headed home Saturday afternoon. We had great food all week--including a really great pizza cook-off hosted by Meg (winner) and Ell (not winner).

And the winner is...Meg!  Whoop!

Meg and Ell's night to cook...here are the Chicken Parmesan Masters hard at work!

 It was so great to have them here...and I didn't take nearly enough pictures!  Hope you all had a great holiday too!  It's off to Utah for me now...wahoo! Christmas number 2~!

Cute Katelyn!  Gotta love the outfit!