Annie was there

Yay for Fran! She took pictures of Annie at Nana and Grandaddy's house even if I didn't.

 Annie is holding the lamb slippers that were in her stocking.

 Blowing out the candles on the Happy Birthday Jesus cake.

 And a couple of more pictures from Fran that I liked.

After Christmas

 Ben loves his chemistry set.

 Making glow in the dark slime!

 Annie and Rosie in their Elsa dresses.  MawMaw Wilma made Mollie's cape.  The doll-sized Frozen dress was Mollie's Christmas gift from MV and Janey.

 Ben and Mollie love the bath crayons that Annie got for Christmas from Adelyn.

The weather hasn't cooperated very well for using the telescope.  We finally all got to look at the moon with it and it was amazing.

Christmas Day

 Santa always brings Ben, Mollie, and Annie's presents to MawMaw and PawPaw's house.  You can see that Santa has been by.

 Mama videoed them coming into the room.  Mollie was a little upset.  The doll that Santa left was not the exact one she had in mind when she talked to Santa.  However, she soon decided that she liked it.  John pointed out that it looks just like her which is better than a brown haired doll.

 Ben wore his new Mississippi State hoodie all day.

 New boots from MawMaw and Pawpaw.

 Mollie with the WORST gift ever purchased by MawMaw -- a Frozen wand that plays "Let it Go" if you even breath on it.  John put it in a box in the back of his truck on the way home hoping it would use up all the battery as it bounced along.  No such luck!

 Somehow John made it all the way through college without getting a cowbell.  With the awesome season they had this year, he kept saying he wished he had one.  T'Mara helped me get one for him.  She even hand-painted it.

 Mollie loved the matching outfits MawMaw and PawPaw got her and Rosie (according to the box the doll's name is Shannon.  Mollie named her Rosie, though.  John calls her Shannon Rose just to annoy Mollie.)

 Nerf guns from Uncle Will!

 Grandaddy had quadruple bypass surgery just a couple of weeks before Christmas so we made a quicker trip to their house this year.  We arrived in the afternoon and opened presents, but left right after supper.

 Mollie was very excited about her beautiful birthstone ring.

 Mollie is showing Rosie her new doll-sized tent set.

Somehow Annie is not in any of my pictures from Nana and Grandaddy's house.  Whoops!  She really was there. Maybe Fran has a picture of her!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve at MawMaw Wilma and PawPaw Sherman's house.

I'm posting all three of these just because they always so funny and terrible.

 A box of bath toys from Adelyn.

 A Frozen nightgown from Aunt Connie.

 The Complete History of Nascar updated in 2011 for Ben.  He was THRILLED with this gift and would have just sat and looked at it all night.  Annie had drawn his name.  She did a great job picking out a gift for Ben.

 Looking at the Nascar book with MawMaw.

 Aubrey and Olivia LOVE sparklers.

 Ella Kate loves Zac.

The Days Before Christmas

Mr. Marvin Cockerham passed away the Friday before Christmas.  I wanted to attend his funeral on Sunday afternoon so we headed home a day earlier than I had originally planned.  Ben, Mollie, and Annie stayed with Cara and Tom while I went to the funeral.  After the funeral, we watched Aubrey in their church Christmas program.  

 Aubrey is the angel in the middle of the top row looking to the side.

 A quick pic with PawPaw before Annie realized what was happening.

 Annie hardly let me out of her reach the entire time we were visiting.  However, she liked Will and didn't mind him picking her up and carrying her around.

We had planned to visit Santa the week before Christmas but since John had to go to Huntsville and then I had to go to Mr. Marvin's funeral, Mama and I ended up taking Ben, Mollie, and Annie to see Santa at the Alexandria Mall on Monday.  Annie was surprisingly calm with Santa.  I expected to get a screaming Annie and Santa picture.

Ben and Mollie both had letters to give to Santa.  Ben wrote his several days before we went to see Santa and had put it in my bag.  Mollie had Ben write her letter in the car on the way to Alexandria as she became very worried that she was going to forget to tell Santa some very important details about the doll she wanted.  Here's what Mollie had Ben write:  A pink ballerina doll with brown hair and a light face.  Ben had four things on his list -- a Nascar history book, a camera, Planes Fire and Rescue movie, and a specific Matchbox car.

Santa kept the letters to give to his elves (pronounced elvis by Mollie).  They had debated in the car whether Santa read the letters or the elves (elvis).  Now we know.

Hunting Camp

The week before Christmas John had to make an unplanned trip to Huntsville, AL.  The center manager there died after a long battle with cancer.  We met John at the hunting camp Friday night. John always brings Ben and Mollie a small gift when he's been out of town.  Ben usually gets a Matchbox car.  Mollie's gift varies.

 This time it was pink lip gloss.

 Ben and Mollie decorated a small Christmas tree for MV and Janey since they were spending Christmas at the camp.

Mollie and Annie's first tea party with a playset Mollie got from Mrs. Judy for Christmas.  Annie thought she was so big.