Christmas Day!!

We started Christmas Day off at home. Daniel and Max waited upstairs while I set all Max's stuff out for him. Then when he opened the bedroom door Max came sprinting down the stairs and straight for all his new stuff. He was like a little kid, how excited he was! He is our baby:) Max got all kinds of new Dingo bones, new squeaky balls, and a new bed. He didnt know what to play with first. After a few swats and squeaks of the balls he settled on the couch with his bone while Daniel and I opened our gifts. I got a new fossil watch, a Kenny Chesney jersey, the flexbelt, and a new charm for my Pandora bracelet. Daniel got a new dress shirt, the "Prince Package" at a spa for an hour message, and a mani and pedi ( he has always wanted to do it but never has), then his big suprise was his full Two Brother Exhaust for his bike. I think we were both pretty spoiled.


After we got done at home we headed to the Moffitt's house to celebrate Christmas with them and Daniels Dad. We were running a little late but got there around 8:40am. We beat Dan there:) Tandy had made breakfast for everyone and it was delicious. Then we all exchanged gifts. Mackenzie got lots of new dolls, Brody got lots of balls and a play house for them, and Tye got big boy toys this year. He got a BB gun and a bow and arrow. We got Dan a wine cooler and the Moffitts got him a blue ray dvd player. We got Tandy an ipod dock player and Darnell a few games of golf. I got 3big pictures frames for an idea I have, a mixer and a cookbook, which I already made one thing out of (ice cream cookie sandwiches). Daniel got a balance bracelet, which really works, and gift cards. Oh and Koda got introduced to Dingo bones(max's favorites) he seem to like it as well. Everyone enjoyed their gifts and we all enjoyed spending the time with each other! Always a pleasure!


After the Moffits house we headed home for a few hours of rest then it was off to the Harakas house. Their we celebrated with my parents, brother, and my sister whole clan. My grandma Sandy and Patsy and Joe stopped by as well. The kids were all wound up from all the stuff they got at home and all the candy they had been eating. We opened gifts first and then ate because the kids were driving us crazy. Mom and Daddy got to open their gift first, Candace had gotten them a new kitchen table and chairs. Then all the kids scavenged around for their gifts. Alden got a new Mickey Moouse fising pole, and a big truck. Jasmine got a big coloring book and a laptop,but all she cared about was the candy! Ashlynn got lots of Justin Beiber stuff and a baby all better, Adrian got a wii game for his new wii that santa brought and a BB gun, Jeremy got a stereo and a cell phone. I got another mixer and some clothes. Daniel got gift cards and a mirror. Candace got a cleaning care package and tuperware. Brian got a fishing pole bag and a flannel shirt. Mom got new lotions and her table of course. And daddy got a fishing pole bag, and his table. Everyone seemed to like their gifts. The kids were off to play and we ate and chatted for a few. Then it was time to head home and nap. It was an exhausting day!


Well now that Christmas is over. Happy New Year.......

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve started out as a lazy day for me and Max, Daniel had to work for a little while. Then Chritmas Eve night as tradition we had a family get together at my grandma Sandy's house. Good to see family that we only see a few times a year. We ate and then the kids opened their gifts from grandma and played. New this year we did the white elephant drawing. I have never done one so it was neat. All the adults were apart of it. After a few trades Daniel and I ended up with a decorative tree with lottery tickets on it and a gift package of mugs, cookies, and hot coco. It was fun and there were some good gifts in the drawing. After that we went home and Daniel finally got to open his stocking so he could play his game. He was begging for hours. He played all night while I slept and waited for Santa to come!


Then the next day.....

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas celebrations have begun. It all began Saturday night with the UPS Christmas Party at McQ's bar. Daniel enjoys chatting with the guys he works with in a setting other than work. Although they usually always talk about work:)

Later Saturday night we went over to another bar to celebrate our friend Scott's birthday. He is the DJ at Knockouts, so for his birthday he hired DJ Orion from RadioNow to work his party and he was really good! We had a good time drinking/dancing/hanging out with friends. We basically closed the bar down, Daniel was drunk by the end of the night, and I was the driver! Home to bed it was.....

Sunday we had Daniels family Christmas Party. It is usually held in Connersville at Scott and Amys, but this year it was in New Pal at Gary and Annas. It was nice to have a shorter drive, especially since Daniel had a basketball game to go to after the party. Most of the party time was spent watching the Colts game, thankfully they won! We also ate and exchanged gifts and the kids played outside in the snow. The party was fun and as always it was great to see all our family again.



Christmas Day is getting closer and there are more get togethers and family to see. So until next time... you better be good cause Santa is watching!!

Santa Claus, IN/ Americas Hometown Christmas Pageant!

Candace has been wanting to get my niece Ashlynn into a beauty pageant and met a friend at work who gave her some information on one coming up. It was in Santa Claus, IN. Ashlynn was so excited to do it. So we made a girls weekend out of it and headed 3 hours south to visit Santa. We left Friday night around 6pm. Made one stop for dinner at McDonalds and arived at Santa's Lodge at 9pm. I hate driving at night, but I made it. Everything was pitch black so there was nothing to look at. Anyway after we got there we just hung out in our room and went to bed to get ready for the pageant the next morning. She had to be checked in at 8am and her interview was at 9am. So we got up at 6am to get ourselves and Miss Ashlynn ready. Her first outfit was a pink Santa dress that she had picked out. Then all we did was straighten her hair and add some accesories. This pageant does not allow makeup on anyone younger than 13, it is a natural pageant, which was nice. After we checked in she got to practice. Luckily we were friends with the Sweatheart (age divison above ashlynn) Queen from the State Pageant. She helped Ashlynn alot on what she needed to do on stage and during her interview. After the interviews, which she still will not tell us how it went or what they asked, and practice we headed out to lunch. Only to find out that the only place to eat in Santa Claus was a Subway and everyone in the town was there. Santa Claus, IN does not have a Mcdonalds or a Walmart. LOL! Anyway then we did some shopping, wrote a letter to Santa, sat on Santa's lap, and she even went swimming back at the hotel. Then it was time to get ready for the big event. Candace started curling Ashlynns hair at 2pm and didnt finish till 4:30. Then we headed down for the pageant. Ashlynn did great on stage, she did it just as she had practice. She was not scared at all. The first time on stage she wore her pink Santa dress and had to dance around on stage and of course smile for the judges. She had her dance routine down perfect. Then it was a quick change into her Formal Christmas Dress. This time on stage she was escorted by the Mr. Coed Winner ( a very cute young boy) and just had to walk nice and stand pretty. She did not get crowned Miss Santa Claus, but she did WIN and trohpy for Miss Photogenic and she gets half price in the State Pageant next year. She was very happy. She did great and had fun, which was all that mattered. After the pageant we drove through "The land of light" It was all kinds of moving LED christmas light ups and a path that told the story of rudolph. It was pretty neat and we even seen a family of real deer " well reinder and rudolph according to Ashlynn" That was all there was to do in that town so we went back to the room and hung out till bed time. Then it was back on the road first thing in the morning. It was much easier driving during the daylight, even though there was still nothing to look at. I got us home in 2 hours and we were glad to be back. Well until next time.... Look out for Ashlynn she is a diva on the loose!

Santa Claus, IN/ America's Christmas Hometown Pageant Pics!