It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Chirstmas

So much for the "much smaller Christmas" that my mom promises us each year. Does it look like we drew names for one gift each??? Yeah, didn't think so. This year though, we had to do things a bit differently. The tree was moved to a new location, for the first time ever, and so we had to haul the presents from under the tree to the common living area to be opened. We don't usually pile gifts on a coffee table!

Of course, not only did we provide gifts for each other, so did Santa. We woke up in the morning to realize that not only had Santa come, he she was still at the house. Claire's stocking had lots of fun things for her to grow into...including her new bow!

We all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas morning together as a family. How we didn't get dad in any of the pictures, I don't know???

We each got one big special present from Santa and then really little things like gift cards and such, but we all made out pretty well. I was so dang excited to get my food processor. I've been wanting one {a good one} since I moved in my house, and my mom got it for my last Christmas, but never gave it to me. Finally, I got it! Mark & Maegan got a cool new touch-screen camcorder to record Claire's cutest moments. Molly will be enjoying herself in her former home, Washington DC, for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and she couldn't be more thrilled for such a gift. Scott & Abby got....{drumroll please}....new tires!!! May not seem that exciting to y'all, but trust me - when running on bald rubber, that's very exciting!!!

My parents had one special surprise left for me, and I had absolutely no idea I was going to get anything else. They brought in a huge box and I wondered if it was my dad's gift to my mom because it didn't have a name on it. I couldn't figure out what it could have possibly been, but the only thing I could think of was a bookshelf. Seriously though, I've been looking at different cool bookshelves to put upstairs in my hallway - so I figured maybe my mom got me one I had pointed out when I was with her. I started unwrapping, caught a glimpse of half the picture and looked back at my parents stunned.

Are they freaking serious??? Yes. Yes, they were!

Aren't Mike & Leslie the absolute greatest? I had noooo clue, much less I hadn't even asked for anything other than my food processor.

After gift opening, we cleaned up the mess, prepared our fabulous dinner and celebrated the season with our tradition Friends & Family meal. Chris & Danette, along with Danette's parents and her brother's family come for Christmas each year and it always turns into a pretty fun and long night. Several rounds of Aggravation and games of pool, and many many glasses of wine later, I was definitely ready to hit the sack. But not before we had dessert and exchanged our cross-family gifts.

During this time, the-ever-competitive twins decided to have a weigh-off and to see who had lost more weight. My brothers aren't even close to being considered tall, but they both have quite the stocky build, with a little fat thrown in there for good measure.

So out comes the scale and Mark steps on.
Now, it's Scott's turn. "I should be under 190, I've been doing good. I've lost over 20 pounds and last year at this time, I was 212."

"219!!!" This shit is wrong! Let me try again."

"220!!! No fucking way!!! This is bullshit!
{Poor poor Scotty, had no idea his sweet little wife was behind him adding pressure to the scale. Good one, Abby!}
"Okay, let's try this ONE more time. Abby, you stay over there."
I don't know any other family that has a weight competition during the holidays, especially after eating a huge meal, but what would a Stanga Family Christmas be without a little misery?

Once again, another great season spent with the ones I love most. Now it's time to work on my New Year's Resolutions. I've got a few good ones in mind.