Charlie Brown ICE!

Paula was coming to clean the house today, so we needed to get the kids out of the house for a few hours. They deserved a fun outing since we spent yesterday taking down the Christmas decorations, picking up, and organizing rooms and toys. I thought it would be fun to take them to ICE! at the Gaylord Texan, and I was hoping it wouldn't be that busy on a weekday morning after Christmas......WRONG!
Claire was so excited to see all of the decorations and lights. Ethan and Davin loved the trains.

Davin and Claire did not enjoy waiting with the crowd for our turn.

Claire's parka was huge on her! She truly looked like the little kid from "The Christmas Story." She could not walk very well in it, and when she fell down she could not get up!

We had to wait about 15 minutes for one turn on the ice slide.

Doug tried to get pictures, but it was so crowded that he had to try to fight his way to Davin and Claire at the bottom of the kid slide.

Davin's bottom was cold after his turn.

The boys are in the dog house as usual!

Davin tore his parka off the second we got out of the tent. He did not like wearing it.

I think Claire enjoyed looking at the decorations where it was much warmer than 9 degrees! We took the kiddos to lunch at Ritzy's afterward for burgers. Claire ate fries with ketchup for the first time. Even though we were all freezing we all had ice cream for dessert, and the kids all fell asleep in the truck on the way home. It was a fun day, but next time we go visit ICE! I would like to try to go when it isn't so busy!

Christmas Day!

Santa found his way to the Seale house hold! Both boys asked Santa for Rescue heroes stuff, and boy did Santa bring it! They where so shocked to see so much stuff. Claire got the doll house that the boys asked Santa to bring her, and she has really enjoyed it as well.

Ethan loves this ship!

They eventually remembered that they had stockings to check as well. Our stocking are on our banister instead of the fire place. I saw the idea in a Potterybarn catalog last year, and decided to go with it.
Santa left mainly candy in the stockings along with new battery operated tooth brushes to prevent cavities. Davin and Claire also got sing-a-ma-jigs in their stockings.

Claire loved the Christmas peeps!

It was all we could do to finish breakfast and keep the boys from tearing into the presents! We decided to go ahead and get started, PJ's and all. I just handed the boys their puppy pillow pets since I didn't have anything to wrap them with. The kids get 3 gifts a piece from Doug and I because baby Jesus received 3 gifts from the wise men.

Claire figured out that there were toys in those packages real fast.

Ethan was very excited about the red DSI he got from his grandparents.

Davin got a Leapster so he would leave brother's game alone.

Doug and I couldn't get the toys out of the packages fast enough for Claire boo. She started throwing full blown tantrums because she was so angry that she couldn't play with whatever she opened as soon as she had removed the paper.

Yet another tantrum...this was too funny!

Once all the toys were out of the packages all was right with the world again!

Look at that mess!!!!!

We went to Grandma's house for Christmas lunch, and to open gifts with them. Claire loves this "My first baby alive." She has been pushing her all over the house in the doll stroller Doug and I gave her.
We had a great time opening gifts and hanging out at Grandma's house. After gifts and lunch, Doug, Papa, Whitney, my Dad, and Ethan spent the afternoon playing cards. That meant mom and I had Granny duty which was interesting as always, but contained some conversations from crazy Granny that were so inappropriate that I will not even repeat them on this blog!! Other than that we had a fantastic Christmas, and we all received some really nice gifts. It is important to remind ourselves that presence can mean more than presents!