Christmas, Round 2

Eddy's sister and family came up from Iowa the Tuesday after Christmas, so we had a Morgan Family Christmas on December 30. We worked out a system last year where all the kids open presents first, then we put in a movie for the them to watch. That way the adults can sit around and open gifts without all the crazy kids running around! With eight grandkids kids (seven of them are 5 and under!), it was caotic, but fun! Papa always passes out the kids' presents

In case you're counting, this is Isaac's THIRD train set this Christmas!

Piper LOVES her cousin, "Baby Mason"!

The kids, ready to watch a movie while the adults open gifts

We rarely take pictures on the Morgan side, so made sure to get more this year. Here's Grandma Judi and Papa with all the grandkids!

Our kiddos with grandparents

Eddy, brother, sister, and parents

And...the "outlaws"!

Whew! Christmas is officially over. As busy as it was, we are so lucky to have been able to spend time with all of our family.

Second Tooth!

So Isaac pulled out his second tooth the day after Christmas! It's been loose for awhile and I was REALLY trying to get him to pull it out Christmas Eve. How cool would that have been to have the Tooth Fairy AND Santa come on the same night?! But it wasn't meant to be. This tooth came out with little to no fan fair. He took his tooth with him, as he was spending the next two nights with Grandma Becky and Grandpa J. They even forgot to put the tooth out the first night, because they were having so much fun! No pictures to show, just wanted to make sure I wrote it down, so I wouldn't forget!

Christmas Day

The kids were SO patient Christmas morning, waiting until all of us adults woke up, so we could watch them see what Santa brought.

Isaac's big gift from Santa was the "Santa Jumbo Express" train set. It's REALLY loud and blows smoke!

Piper's big gift from Santa was a Cabbage Patch Doll!

After we all got a little more presentable, we drove down to the Lakwalk to throw rocks in the water and walk around a bit.

And the Tischers...never miss a phot op!

Christmas Eve

Our day started by heading outside to the front yard. Isaac, Daddy, and Grandpa J put on their cross country skis and went around the yard! Piper was feeling left out, so we put on her toddler-size pair. Grandma Becky and I kept our boots on to help those who needed a hand.

The kids got new sleds from our neighbors (awesome!), so we took turns pulling them around.

The kids were so excited to open gifts, we let them open a couple before church.

After church were family pictures...

Isaac LOVES herring (it warms Grandpa J's heart!)

Piper kept sneaking up on the counter to get snacks!

Here are a few fun pictures of opening presents:

We had the kids open all their presents first, which was great. We were then able to put them to bed and enjoy opening our presents. Such a wonderful day!

Isaac's First Christmas Concert

We went to Isaac's first Christmas concert tonight! We've been asking Isaac what songs he's going to be singing for awhile, but get very little response. In fact, he told us that he wasn't going to go to the concert. But luckily, he went on stage with his classmates and did a great job! My mom was able to drive up, and Eddy's parents were there too. So proud of him.

Bentleyville 2011

Last night we headed down to Bentleyville. For those who've never been there, it's a HUGE lights display in Duluth. There's a long history to it, so if you ever want to hear it, call me up....or better yet, come to Duluth between Thanksgiving and Christmas to see it for yourself! It was cold when we went, but no wind. We had a great time!

Also of note, this is my 250th blog post! What an amazing way this has been for me to archive our lives! Thanks for reading :)

Great Grandpa Turned 98!!

On December 10th, my Grandfather (the kids' Great Grandpa Gene) turned 98! We were able to spend the weekend in the Cities, with the majority of the Tischer side. There was an open house on Saturday afternoon and lots of fun in the hotel pool. Sunday morning we were able to see my mom's brother and wife. My cousins and their kids were also there. It was an awesome weekend!!

Is is wrong to absolutely LOVE this picture?!?!