Collins Family Christmas

My dad (aka Papa) is on call at work over Christmas every seven years, so this was his last and final Christmas call since he's retiring before his turn comes around again.  Woohoo!  So instead of getting together right after Christmas in Winston-Salem like we've done the past few years, we all waited until the weekend after Christmas and headed to Wilmington and had our crazy Collins Christmas at "home".  There were 15 people and four dogs packed into Mom and Dad's house, but we had the best time.  Here is the weekend in photos, not necessarily in chronological order because there were too many to sort through (beware!!).  Thanks to my sister, Sarah, for being an awesome photographer over those few days and letting me steal pictures!!

One of the first things Anna noticed that weekend...

..."Papa has on the same sweatshirt five years later!"

Caroline helping!

Penelope and Jack

Penelope was in love with Greg and
Michelle's new puppy, Tucker!

The "fire truck" was a big hit with all the kiddos!

Papa helping Nelly ride Jack's scooter.

Lot's of ice cream was eaten at Mimi's that weekend!

Mimi and Papa gave Anna and Nia...

...Flying Turtles...

...aka Roller Racers.
They had a blast riding them down the garage incline.

Go Nelly!

The daddies made a game of pushing the
kids in the "fire truck".

All smiles!

Jack wanted to play outside and couldn't wait
long enough to put clothes on!

Go Nia!

Drinking and mowing the grass!

Brrr!  It's cold!

Sassy pants in her new giraffe outfit!

"Jack-Jack ride turtle!!"

Bubbles!

Jingle bells...

...jingle bells...

...Jingle all the way!

Tired puppies!

And a tired Leslie!

Jack still singing!

The Dynamic Duo

Matching PJs!

Don't let your Daddy see that bib!!

Present time!!

The kiddos watching a movie during the
adult Dirty Santa exchange.

Johnna got the boobies!!

Papa stole the boobies!!!  Hahahaha!!

Sweet Penelope!

Mimi and Papa and the five grandkids

The Crazy Collins Zoo!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day and Beyond

Anna's loot from Santa,
including the coveted Fijit Friend, Serafina!

Jack's loot with a train table!

Anna on her new big bicycle!

Jack trying out his new "fire truck".

Wall stickers for her room!

It's fun to push it too!  He wanted it on the street like Mommy and Daddy's cars.
Thank goodness we live on a cul-de-sac now!

After playing with Santa stuff all morning and getting good naps in, we headed back over to Nannie and Pop's for an evening of gifts and dinner.

Jack got a pirate ship!

Anna got matching PJs to go with her dolls!

A box full of animals--it's a horse!

"Can we please open the big one?"

It's a grill!

Jack cooking up a hot dog...and apparently a giraffe too!

Aunt Erin didn't mind helping Anna with her new Cinderella carriage.

 We had a fun Christmas Day and a relaxing day after...

Spa day for Anna with her pedicure kit from Aunt Erin!

Nana wanted all of us to go to dinner one last time together
before the holiday was over.  I'm glad we got this photo
but I wish it had turned out better.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was so much fun!

Daddy helped the kids decorate cookies for Santa.

Then we let the kids open their presents from us.

Jack got an excavator...

...and a front loader!

Anna got the American Girls Bitty Babies Twins.

She named them Greg and Michelle.:)

After a morning of cookies and new toy fun (and an afternoon nap), we headed to church for the Impromptu Family Christmas Pageant.  I love it because the kids can dress up as animals and shepherds and angels and just be kids, there are no speaking parts since they have adults read the Christmas story, and we sing all the familiar Christmas hymns.  I also love that it is informal and only lasts 30 minutes.  It is so cute!

Jack had to dress up too since Sissy did!

Our sheep and pink pig!

Silly sheep!

Jack even went up on stage with Sissy!

After the church pageant, we headed to Nannie and Pop's house for Christmas Eve dinner.  Tom and Lynn and TJ and Wes were all in town, so we had much to celebrate!  Jack was infatuated with TJ and Wes and had to track their every move the whole night.  "Where did TJ go?" was a very common question that night.  It was hilarious!

The cousins with sweet Nana

Just the cousins

After a fun night, we raced home to get in bed for Santa to come.  The kids threw the reindeer food out into the yard and got the cookies and chocolate milk ready for Santa.

Love this photo!!

Benny's last day with us and he appropriately
found himself beside the baby Jesus.
God, thank you for our incredible gift!!

Go Gio!

UNC played a home basketball game on the Saturday before Christmas and Nannie and Pops were sweet to let us take the kids.  It was a noon game against McNeese State so the timing was good and we weren't taking a great game away from anyone.;)  We had a blast!  Jack was the funniest because he really figured out who this Rameses guy is.  Anna would find him at the football games, but he was always so far away that Jack never got excited about him.  The Dean Dome made Rameses much closer and much more exciting for Jack!  Besides following Rameses' every move, he kept yelling "Go Gio!" whenever the Tar Heels got the ball.  Wrong sport, buddy!  I guess he heard us yell that a few times during football games.  The teenage boys behind us were laughing at him the whole time.  We kept yelling the basketball players names, hoping that one would stick to replace Gio.  Finally, he caught on to PJ Hairston and started yelling "Go PJ!" instead.  So cute!

Mommy and Jack being silly with the camera.

Jack kept using the scoreboard in front of our
seats as his personal cup holder!

 Our Tar Heel Family

Dinner at Judi and Bren's

As I have said before, we are so blessed to have family close that loves to love on us.  Every Christmas, Judi and Bren have us all over for dinner and play Santa a little early.  Since they never had any kids of their own and were half-way across the country when Will and Erin were little, they are eating up the chance to spoil Anna and Jack.  This year, Anna got a Barbie remote control corvette (very similar to the one Judi and Bren have...minus the remote control and pink paint, of course).  And Jack got a Fisher Price work bench complete with tools.  The kids were in heaven!