Courtright Family Christmas 2015

Back home for our family Christmas, the kids were happy about their haul from Santa this year. And there was an extra special gift left behind by Jexan the Elf.

The Santa haul.

A special gift with a note of explanation from Jexan.

You see, Connor and Kaitlynn asked for the impossible gift this year -- a PET! Anyone who knows Jeff will know about his "No Pets" rule. And despite the pleas and constant begging for weeks, even Santa was unable to get past Jeff's steadfast rule. As a compromise, Jexan arranged for Santa to deliver the closest thing he could manage.

Introducing C.C., our Courtright Cat. Lol! C.C. is a robot kitty and will interact with you. Her eyes even change colors based on her mood. She will meow, play, purr, and move all over the place. The kids were quite enamored with her!

Playtime with C.C.

The kids enjoyed playing with their new laptop while cuddling with C.C.

Even Jeff got in on the action. Purple eyes = a happy, purring kitty cat.

Besides the new "cat", another big theme of this year's Christmas haul was all things American Girl. Kaitlynn is SO into her dolls these days and received some fun accessories to use with her doll, Anna.

Kaitlynn loved receiving matching outfits for her and her doll.

Kaitlynn used some of her Christmas money to buy a backpack for Anna.

So now she can come with us everywhere!

A chair for Anna so they can enjoy sitting together.

Anna looked on as Kaitlynn played with another of her gifts, Beados.

Our family Christmas just wasn't the same this year without Collin. We FaceTimed him to watch him open his gifts up in North Dakota. It just doesn't feel right to not be all together during the holidays!

Morgan Family Christmas 2015

Right after our awesome visit in Dallas, we drove straight to East Texas for the Morgan family Christmas celebration. We were so happy to have several days of family fun!

First up, games! Not sure who enjoys game time more, the cousins or Grandaddy!

Christmas Eve with the Morgan cousins.

Such a special time when they are all together!

Kaitlynn loved her cousin gifts.

Unwrapping gifts, their favorite part!

Santa visited with treats for their stockings.

We open stockings one at a time.

After our gift exchanges, we all went outside to check out the exciting new business my brother Jeb has gotten into -- Bubble Balls! Oh my goodness, what fun! I was just a spectator, but it sure was entertaining to watch!

Jeff, Alli, Connor, Grandaddy (referee), Jeb, and ?? (no idea, haha!) line up for their first Bubble Ball event!

Uncle Ben just had to try one on, too funny!

Christmas selfie with my Mom.

Charlotte and me.

I was doing the Charlotte pose, ha!

These two always make me smile. Best cousins forever!

Connor got a "fart gun" for Christmas. What were we thinking??

Relaxing with Jeff.

The annual cousin photo with MeMe and Grandaddy. My, how they've all grown!

Love this!

And now one with my siblings. Michelle and I copied the "hand on hip" pose, ha!

Special Christmas Visit to Dallas

We were so blessed to have our December annual visit with our dear friends the Correas, Ewings, and Webbs in Dallas. These days together are too few but oh-so-special for our families.

The boys immediately went outside to play and these were their poses when I asked to take their picture, ha!

The girls immediately bonded over their dolls.

Amanda, Dana, Katherine, and I left the kiddos with their Dads and took off to enjoy some much-needed girl time. We did some shopping and then enjoyed a perfect meal together while catching up. I continue to be so blessed by my friendships with these girls!

These girls -- LOVE them!!

Toasting to decades of friendship.

One of our favorite spots, Mi Cocina.

We took a fun selfie in front of the beautiful Christmas lights.

Lifelong friends!

Jexan Antics, Santa, and Christmas Shopping

 

Jexan the elf was up to his usual antics during the month of December. He sure is making himself at home in the Courtright house. We never know what we'd wake up to each morning!

 

 

Jexan in a bubble bath of snowballs while enjoying one of the kids' yogurt drinks.

An elaborate zipline in the breakfast room. Wow!

His face -- so mischievous!

Probably the most elaborate of Jexan's schemes. We caught him sitting in a handmade swing with Barbie! Oh my!!

Jexan has always had a thing for Barbie, if you ask me!

Before our kids could make the annual trip to the mall to visit Santa, they wrote their letters to Santa describing what they might like for Christmas this year. I love these letters. And you gotta love how the sibling "love" shines through, ha!

Connor's letter to Santa

Kaitlynn's letter to Santa.

Annual photo with Santa.

Is it just me, or are these kids getting too big for Santa's lap? The expression on Connor's face makes me wonder if it's time for "The Talk"?

After the visit with Santa, we went for a little family Christmas shopping. Connor asked me to take him to Justice, Kaitlynn's favorite store, for him to pick out a gift for her. He did a GREAT job and had a little fun along the way.

Shopping selfie with my little man.

 

Connor cracked me up by imitating this mannequin's odd pose, ha!

Start of the Christmas Season

Every year after Thanksmas signals the start of the busy Christmas season in our family. December is always such a busy month! This year was no different.

On the morning of December 1st, the kids woke up to find all of the Christmas decorations downstairs. Their elf, Jexan, had apparently arranged for the decorations to be delivered from the attic to help encourage us to get into the Christmas spirit. (It's no secret that I have a tough time feeling excited about this task, ha!)

Our Christmas decorations "magically" appeared on December 1st.

Jexan may or may not have had a hand in encouraging us to decorate for the holidays.

They were nervous to get too close to Jexan for fear of touching him, ha!

Another early December activity we had to take on this year was advanced planning for gift delivery. With Collin in North Dakota for Christmas this year, we had to make sure to get our shopping done for him very early. I had a big bundle of surprises for him and took extra care with his packages. I was quite proud of myself for managing to get the shopping AND shipping completed in the first week of the month in order for Collin to have his packages arrive before Christmas. There was a lot of preparation and love packed into these boxes!

 

 

Another early Christmas season activity was a fun get-together for Kaitlynn and her fellow cheerleaders from the fall team. It was a perfect celebration to close out the cheer season and kick off the month of holiday fun.

Coach Janna and her squad of cheerleaders all get pampered together.

Sweet hands and nails.

Check out these beauties and their fresh manicures.

Love how they are all wearing the pedicure flip-flops!

Back at one of the girls' home, they all enjoyed s'mores by the fire. What a fun night!