We had quite a holiday season!  Christmas company began for us December 8th and lasted through Dec 31st.  We had celebrations with local family, Georgia family and Pennsylvania family.  We missed Randi’s sisters and their families but were together in spirit.  The washing machine ran non-stop and the kitchen was always open.  It was fun!  It was really hard to narrow down my favorites from all of the pics we took but I finally got it done!  What you see here is a compilation of six different family gatherings!  We like life busy, as you can see! To see a slideshow, or a pic larger, just click on it. Hover over the pic for the caption.

Our Christmas Card this year, front then back. Merry Chaos, I mean Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Thank you, Keira and Eli, for these fun sleeping bags!

Thank you, Keira and Eli, for these fun sleeping bags!

Ya Ya and Grandy gave the kids this. What is it, you ask?

It’s a Hugglepod! Google it!

Uncle Paulie gave Heidi this cute Chef’s outfit!

Uncle David and Wyatt bond over Lightning McQueen.

Tilly loves her toy from Granny!

Oh, my! This Cinderella vanity from Granny is perfect for our princess!

Santa left the stockings in our room Christmas night. It was nice to pile in the bed Christmas morning and open them together!

Their haul.

Bug eye glasses

Ahoy, matey!

Kaleidoscope

Fish on!

Santa ate most of his cookie and drank all of his milk!

Tilly got a stocking too!

Heidi got her Tinkerbell costume from Uncle Paul on Christmas Eve but insisted on wearing it as soon as she began opening presents Christmas morning!

Do you like my lip gloss? Have I put enough on?

A fireman costume from Uncle David for Wyatt and a Tinkerbell costume for Heidi from Uncle Paulie!

Success! 2012 Christmas Picture

Granny tells Heidi about her St. Christopher medallion.

Dress ups from Gran and Pap Pap!

Dress ups from Gran and Pap Pap!

A tea set from Gran and Pap Pap

Snuggling Gran

Snuggling Pap Pap

Playing with Cousin Robbie

Playing with Cousin Robbie

Playing with Cousin Robbie and Cousin Christopher

Fireman Christopher

I’m pretty sure Cousin Hunter’s makeup and lotion is getting some extreme use!

Cousin snuggle fest on the couch with Mary Parker, Christopher and Wyatt

Making Gingerbread men and women 😉 with Gran.

Pouring them into molds.

Obviously, the gingerbread women were decorated and the gingerbread men were not. 😉

All Boy. Thank you, MiMi and Peep, for the Lightning McQueen hoodie!

Snuggling on the couch is something the Dunlap men excel at. It must be a trait passed down from Pap Pap.

Snuggling on the couch is something the Dunlap men excel at. It must be a trait passed down from Pap Pap.

Little Heidi is always good for a hug!

This was a family project. We all helped and as much candy went on these as went in the mouths!

The kids would not visit Santa at the Mt. Pleasant Farmers Market, but the balloon artists were a hit. This Lightning McQueen is quite impressive!

Nice. I just watched my 3 1/2 year old daughter drop trou and tee-tee in the bushes in our backyard. I didn’t teach her that, though I’m impressed. Technique needs improvement. We’ll have to work on that.

The only thing Heidi wanted for Christmas this year was a Tinkerbell Costume.  She was not wishy washy about it; she was sure.  Uncle Paulie gave her the costume, a really nice one from the Disney Store.  Granny Kit completed the look with the wings and I with the shoes.  She wore it all night after opening it on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, I dressed the kids in matching pajamas, which lasted until she remembered her Tinkerbell costume.  She promptly put it on, wearing it Christmas morning until we had to get ready for lunch with family.  Witness the awe and transformation.

Christmas Day 2012

Wyatt used his new TowMater fan to blow the leaves just like Daddy was doing with the blower, and he was so tickled when the leaves really blew (courtesy of Mike)!  Heidi, Tilly and Wyatt destroyed the pile playing in it, but what good is a leaf pile if you can’t play in it?!  Leaf piles make my Top 10 for Fall!

Heidi made the paper and they both made the Dec. 9th Trophy Case Gallery online for the first fish they ever caught!  What a fun day we had and what a treat for them, and us, to see them in the paper and online!

http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CP&Date=20121209&Category=PC20&ArtNo=120909150&Ref=PH

http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=CP&Date=20121209&Category=PC20&ArtNo=120909150&Ref=PH

Heidi woke up crying this morning.  When I went up to get her I asked her what was wrong and she replied, ” A dinosaur was chasing me and it popped my balloon!” 

Well, I’d cry too.  At what age do we realize these are dreams and not reality?  She was not shaken or inconsolable, just a little weepy for a moment.  Honestly, I think she was crying about the balloon, not because she was being chased by a dinosaur.