Christmas Eve and Prep!

Grammy's here!!! Carly and Grammy were working on a tile game...Carly asked to have her water in the same glass as Grammy. =) =)

Pardon my ghetto window blind. =) Haha

While we were getting the presents ready so we didn't have to rush on Christmas Eve, Paul wrapped one of the stoking stuffers. He did a great job and had only a little help.

Then Christmas Eve morning, the girls woke up to this note that Paul (um, I mean Albert The Elf) wrote all by himself. After I went to bed Paul went into my scrapbooking stuff and dug out this paper, some stickers and found sequins that we have decided are what North Pole snow turns into when the kids wake up. He was so sweet! I kept the letter - it makes me so happy! =)

My mom and I spent most of the day in the kitchen getting our special dinner ready while Bree made an animal hospital. She was feeding each little Beanie Baby with a bottle. =)

Then it was time to go on an 'abbenture.' She was telling each animal to have a nice day! =)

This is the cowboy caviar (spicy black eyed pea dip) that needed to marinate all day to be ready for Christmas. It was SO good!

Epic Brownie Fail

I saw in a magazine a couple of years ago these beautiful brownies with a layer of peppermint candies on top. I figured yay, melt the candies while you bake them! That is, um, not how it goes. The first time in my life I go off-recipe and THIS was the result. They tasted great but the little discs looked like melted minty eyeballs. NOT cute =)

NORAD Santa tracker!!! While our pecan pies finished cooling and Grammy was still hard at work cooking. She made the most delicious New Orleans style shrimp. BAM! It was awesome.

While we were finishing up the dinner, the girls played with the super cool play foam monster set that Miss Steph gave them.

DINNER!!! We had seven fishes:

1) Linguine with clam sauce made with whole clams - yummy!

2) Grammy's amazing sauteed garlic and lemon calamari. Best dish of the night.

3) Pecan-crusted tilapia

4) Crabcake stuffed portabello mushroom caps

5) Those New Orleans-style shrimp I talked about earlier

6) Our favorite smoked salmon with toasts and herbed garlic cream cheese

7) And Swedish Fish because I couldn't think of anything else. =)

Carly didn't really follow the instructions on the monster kit...but I liked her creation anyway. =)

Right before bed, the girls got to open their gifts 'from Mommy and Daddy." Always pajamas so they look cute and matchy Christmas morning.

So pretty Carly and Bree with her hilarious cheeeeeese face. Love it!

Our stockings aren't monogrammed - maybe one day we'll get that kind, but for now the girls get to pick which one they want to use.

Getting the milk and cookies ready for Santa!

Then Papa Elf helped me build the puppet theater. =)

Carly's stocking! She was so excited for the unicorn but when someone said "You got your rainbow unicorn" she said, "Oh THIS is not a rainbow unicorn but I love it." That kid is so stinking sweet. =)

Bree got a sweet little Corolle baby and of course a million books. =) She ate that chocolate lollipop and the candy cane before breakfast haha...and as you can see, Santa tracked in lots of extra "snow." Mommy is grateful for a good vacuum. =)