Christmas with the Ks

Christmas seemed to last forever this year; but then again it was only smushed into three days.

Day One: Christmas Eve Eve

The girls opened presents from us on Friday night.

B was so excited to unwrap her Belle doll...can you tell?

{The funny part was she opened the pajama set for the doll first, so asked, "Where's the doll for this? Duh." and tossed it aside.)

E didn't quite get it at first. She'd pull off a small piece of wrapping paper and go "Ooooh!" but at that rate we would have been waiting all night for her to open her gift {which I was stoked about...I knew she would love it!}. With some encouragement from her big sister, the wrapping paper came off.

This is E's face when Elmo started to rock out. I knew she would love it! The looks on their faces were priceless.

J and I agreed not to buy each other gifts this year, but both of us broke that rule. I purchased a fancy-schmancy fish finder for him {he picked up ice fishing as a new hobby this winter, I made him.} and he surprised me with a beautiful key-shaped necklace that features a stunning sapphire in the center of a ring of smaller diamonds. {Dia-monds...dia-monds...are a girl's best....best friiiiieeeeeend!}

I tried to photograph it, but I don't have the proper lens, lighting, or knowledge to capture the sparkle it gives off...and how tingly and happy it makes me that he was so thoughtful.

Day Two: Christmas Eve

Santa came on Christmas Eve morning for our family since he knew E was spending the night and this was her "Christmas morning" in our home. B was up at 7:30AM and anxiously waited while J and I rolled out of bed and awoke the youngest sleepyhead.

{I was most excited for this moment!}

With camera in hand and J equipped with the video camera, we toddled down the hallway to yells of joy..."Santa came!"

Well, OK one member of the family wasn't ready to be up yet {no lighting in the hallway, lo siento!}.

"That's a Barbie house for me, I know it!", B announced.

Is that kid psychic or what? {When the "magic" of Santa passes on to her, I can't wait to tell her that the dollhouse was handmade for me when I was a little girl - I hope one day she will pass it on to her daughter(s) as well!}

Enamored immediately. With Belle in tow.

It's huge! {Where the heck am I going to put it?}

E still didn't comprehend what unwrapping presents was all about, so I put down the camera for a few moments and enjoyed helping her unveil her "big ticket" gift from Santa...a kitchen!

Oh for cute!

This is one of my favorites. B got SO excited when she saw Santa left Rio for her...she must like that movie or something!

E slowly unwrapped hers...{"Oooooh!"}

I love moments like these. Half a second later, B was staring at E the same way, both smirking then giggled. Sigh. I need to dedicate more time to learning my camera so I don't miss those moments.

Merry Christmas, girls! Here are some more shots from the rest of the festivities:

E found that the most efficient way to open a gift was to stand on top of it.

Umm...yes. My four {and a half} year old has a crush on the Biebs.

Oh. Em. Gee. Another Princess doll!

Whoo hoo! A shopping cart! After our afternoon with J's side of the family, we headed west for an evening with mine, filled with Polish foods, Polish traditions, and dedications to my grandmother, Nanny. I was so busy enjoying my time with the girls, my niece, nephews, and family that I didn't have much time to snap pictures. The one family picture I caught features my precious B in her winning performance of "Photo Bomber of the Year":

{I am on the floor next to J and E.}

Day Three: Christmas Day

This is spent with my mom's side of the family. She has five sisters so after all is said and done, there are many happy faces to celebrate with.

Here are a few pictures I got right before my camera battery died:

B with her new baby cousin, Ryker. {Notice the hair binder? Yep. We're cheese heads.}

Found two blurry pictures of B on Santa's lap. She was so shy but happy...it made me smile. Even as my camera battery died.

Overall it was a hectic, long, beautiful, happy Christmas weekend. The aftermath at our home took a few days to clear, but we have finally found a home for all the new toys and created some wonderful memories to treasure for years to come.