Christmas with the Nielsen Family 2011

Christmas Day was so FUN! Following church, we went straight to Grandma and Papa's house! We met everyone there for breakfast and presents: The Simpson family, the Nielsen family, Grandma and Papa. Annabelle dressed up in her Ariel wedding dress as soon as she got there, and couldn't wait to convince Paige or Daisy to wear her new Barbie "Princess Charm School" dress-up. Thankfully Paige played along and looked great in the dress and shoes  :)  All of the kids opened up their cute, cozy, coordinating Christmas outfits and LOVED them. This outfit is currently Annabelle's favorite outfit in her wardrobe--she asks everyday if it's clean! Next they received their AMAZING princess art supplies (Annabelle calls it her "Art Studio"). She also uses this gift everday, sometimes more than once a day! Lastly the girls received darling necklaces and bath bags full of fun stuff: Body glitter, body wash, sponges, perfume, etc. Let's just say I should've known she couldn't wait to primp, and I walked in the bathroom way too late  :) At least she had a good time...and smelled great!  :)

I should mention here that among my favorite gifts this year were the cast iron skillet we received from the Bos family, new Crate and Barrel ceramic mixing bowls from my mom and dad, my new Nike running shoes from Josh, the DVD "The Help," the book "LDS Women of Faith," and a new pair of aviator sunglasses from Josh. And there were many more gifts that made me smile--REALLY big!  :)  This year I gave Josh a stockcar ride in Las Vegas. He gets to go to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, get decked out in all the gear, and ride in a stockcar for 3 laps @ 165mph with a professional race car driver. Should be fun!  :) The trip to Vegas for the ride is an added bonus  :)

The remainder of the day was spent playing, talking and laughing with everyone. For dinner we had a soup buffet, and it was delicious, as always! Our family, Brittany and her kids all stayed the night and played the following day as well. The girls decorated gingerbread "houses," put on "fashion shows" and "plays" (that were absolutely hilarious), and played all day long. I don't even think I changed out of my "PJ's" all day  :) LOVE those days!

Stockings for the girls

Stockings for the babies

A Unicorn shirt!

The "Art Studio"

Stockton gets a ride!

The finished product!

I thought it'd be fun to mention here some of the gifts Annabelle wanted to give this year  :)

Paige: "A Belle mirror to get ready in. No! She already has a mirror! But, I want to give her another one."
Liv: "Well her favorite princess is Mulan, so a Mulan Barbie." (I am pretty sure that's not Liv's favorite princess. Haha)
Daisy: "A new Aurora dress-up that has 2 roses on the sleeves and a badge."
Grandma: "Flowers"
Grandma's Papa: "Some new tools"
Mimi: "A new fairy sippy cup for people when they come there." Hmmmm  :)
Mimi's Papa: "New tools so he can work with Grandma's Papa"
Rusty: "Soku or Digger from Chuck and Friends"
Brittany: "Some new dishes"
Nikki: "A drink of fresh lemonade."
Angie: "A new pot."
Brayden: "A Batman mirror to get "ready in his room. His mom will like it!"
Lily and Mercedes: "Jasmine squinkies"
Dance teacher: "Some symbols, a drum, or a piano"
Primary teacher: "A timer so it will go off when class is over."