Days with the Dorans

We got to the Drapals fairly early to spend time with the other Drapals and we had a nice long time with them which included awesome gifts (ONE SO GENEROUS WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT IT), fun games, and naps! Sean tried to go sledding (despite no snow) which was hilarious. I didn't take any pictures really but I did take video of that that you can see HERE . After the younger Drapals left, we had a delicious dinner, movie, and were ready for bed. It was another WONDERFUL Christmas!

 After I ran (yes... it was on the treadmill and only a few miles but I had to try out my new running stuff), Joey drove us over to Nana and Papa's! The Drapals were coming this year so Marty was also super excited (he loves his cousin, Gordie)! We had a wonderful time! The camera in my phone broke (without being dropped grrr...) so I got most of these pictures from Nana. It was a great day, but the most memorable moment (for me) will be that Joey got his Varsity Jacket. He was so excited and wore it inside for quite a while which was cute! I think he'll get a lot of wear out of it! You can see a video of him opening it HERE and other pictures from the day below!

After our Christmas, we headed to the Drapals. We pulled in at the exact same time as Danny! The roads weren't great but we went slow and steady! As excited as everyone was, I don't think anyone was more excited than Gordie Waffles and Marty! Marty was sporting his new "Adidog" sweatshirt and the two of them spent much of the day frolicking in the snow! To make it even better, Marty's best friend, Dale (my parents' neighbor) came over with a Christmas treat for he and Gordie!! STEAK!! There's a reason the boys love Christmas and especially love Dale! The kids were pumped for Christmas! My kids woke up at 4:10am but their cousins beat them waking up at 3:58!! We had a nice Christmas and everyone enjoyed opening up gifts and I felt like it went slow and steady and I got to see most of the openings! Of course the presents from kids continued (we love the dollar store) and Seany was all about thanking and hugging everyone!  I got TZ a neat...

In the afternoon, we headed to Commerce for Christmas. Marty and Gordie both got to come too and they were SOOOOO happy! They played most of the time and got a special meal before taking a nice nap! Papa played Santa as he always does. He goes a little too fast for my liking. I'm sure his pace is just right for the kids (at least the Littles). Everyone had such nice things. We were able to celebrate with the older and younger Drapals and Auntie Barbara (who we should probably start calling Busia!!!- We know what Nicole is having but perhaps I shouldn't post it here in case someone reads it) and Gary also came for dinner which was delicious.  All the kids had fun playing but, as always, I think the oldest kids usually have the most fun! We also had fun playing the game "Watch Your Mouth!" which was hilarious! Steph and I got virtual reality goggles which was fun. I saw these at the ATandT store the day before and had fun "riding" on Pete's ...

 My brother was having a Christmas celebration with his in-laws family this year so asked if we could get to my parents by 10:00.  We said we could do it and we did (albeit a little bit late since that is my style).  THEY didn't get there until 11:00 though!  Gordie had thrown up (perhaps left over from the night before when he ate chocolates that were meant for my mom).  The kids enjoyed opening presents and giving presents to each other (all from the Dollar Store, of course).  This picture was obviously NOT from the Dollar store but was a cute one of Al and Maddy so I put it in here.  The kids all played together with their new toys and had a great time.  I got Danny some random gag type gifts which were not cheap but they made me laugh... A giant Star Wars Pez thing (since I remember days when we were young playing Star Wars) and this Hulk Hat that lifts up his hands.  Danny was VERY afraid of the Hulk when we were little. ...

 At around noon, we packed up the car and ran to get my Nan.  In years past, we've gotten her to spend part of Christmas morning at our house before going to my folks, but she can sometimes get confused so we opted to just pick her up on the way to my parents.  She said she was confused, but as soon as she heard the harmonica playing from the back seat and Al sing "Jingle Bells" she was back to the Nan we know and love! The kids had to wait a bit for their cousins (and it wasn't easy for me to keep hearing my kids ask every two minutes when they were coming).  Though I thought my brother said noon, he must have meant he'd leave at noon because it was about 1:00 when they finally showed up.  Maddy was really quiet and stayed in the entryway for a while (not even coming out to play with her precious cousin Ali that she loves so much).  I was secretly happy to see this as Al used to do the same thing when we'd go to Grandma's or Uncle Dan's!  ...