Christmas Blogs Galore

4 blogs in one!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


Our Christmas Pictures

Our 1st Christmas Eve Eve

Our 1st Christmas Eve

Our 1st Christmas Day

Our 1st Christmas Day

On Christmas morning, we got Harper up and dressed in our Christmas PJ's.  Santa brought Harper her very first Cabbage Patch doll.  It's fun and bright pink - so of course Harper loves it!

Loving Aunt Krissy and all her pretty jewelry

Grayson likes Harper's pink Cabbage Patch Doll

Harper's present from KK and Mark was a hippo that pops balls in the air.  It was meant for Grayson but Kristen thought it might be too babyish for him.  I have one so I didn't think Harper needed it.  But when that toy started both kids were fascinated.  Of course all Harper could really do was try to eat everything.

Loving on Uncle Eric

Grayson and Harper have the same pacifiers so it's pretty funny when Grayson gets them mixed up.  I'm pretty sure he knew he'd get in trouble for taking her paci this time.

Harper got tons of fun toys for Christmas, and of course they all light up and make music.  It's her favorite part of any toy.  She did great unwrapping her gifts.  She was able to tear the paper like a big kid, but thought the wrapping paper was to be eaten afterwards.  

Grayson got a kitchen for Christmas.  He loves it and says, "Kitchen, Cook."  He is so cute.  My sister, Kristen, says that he carries his pot around all day pretending to cook food.  He also got this Elmo/Sesame Street apartment toy.  It's just like the one that the four of us kids played with when we were little.  It's funny how sappy you get when you become a mom.  I think most of Kristen and I's gifts were all sentimental this year.  

My gift from Kristen this year was a movie called "Babes in Toyland."  Such a great movie!  Most people haven't heard of it, but we used to watch this movie over and over again.  It reminds me of being at my Nana and Papa's where the kids all laid together and watched movies in the back room.  

Cody opened most of Harper's gifts.  It's probably a good thing because he's sweet enough to pretend he likes everything that my mom gets us.  She does a pretty good job but this bib might have been a bit over the top.

Kristen and I spent weeks scanning all our old baby pictures (4 kids times 10 years equals a lot of work!).  We put them together into an album for my mom for Christmas.  I think she really liked it.  And it's funny how all 4 of us really look alike.  Each of us had at least one baby picture that we swore was us, and was someone else.  And I seriously can't decide who Harper looks more like, me or Kristen.  It's such a close tie!

That afternoon we drove to Denison to celebrate with Cody's parents and grandma.  We had lunch and got to see some of his cousins.  Then we opened gifts and did our traditional lottery scratch offs.  We actually didn't win much this year, so our luck may have run out.  Harper got more presents and loved every minute.  

Harper and Cody put together his new grill that he got for Christmas later that day.  He went old school but he loves it.  And they love spending time together.  

It was a great Christmas and we enjoyed every minute.  Merry Christmas from the Hempkins!

Our 1st Christmas Eve

On Saturday, we went to my Aunt Lissa's house and had our family Christmas.  We do a cousin gift exchange, Mexican food, and a tree prayer reading.  It's fun and a great tradition in our family.  I'm pretty sure we've done it every year of my life.  

Harper napped for awhile and at one point, Cody looked on the monitor and said "The baby's gone!"  Scary for about two seconds until we realized that my Uncle Mike had gotten her up because she was crying.

Grayson played ball with all the boy cousins and we all sat around watching football and talking.  Grayson loves to play a game where he points at someone and yells their name, and then you peg them with a ball.  It's awesome.  I enjoyed it this time because I kept telling him who to peg.  Uncle Eric and Dane got hit A LOT.  

We even got the traditional "cousins on the couch" photo with 7 2nd cousins.  We knew that all the kids wouldn't sit still for long so we dumped them all on the couch and said, Go!  We had all of 60 seconds to take a good picture and then they were off and running.  

Mackenzie, Rylie, Grayson, Aubrey, Austin, Natalia, Harper

All the kids loved getting a turn holding the baby.

The Klusman Crew

We survived 24 whole hours without a single argument!

After lunch, we went to Christmas Eve service at Bent Tree.  This is something my sister and I love doing. Christmas Eve service is always so special to me and reminds me exactly what we are celebrating.  It's funny how easy it is to forget that Christmas is about Christ and not gifts.  And it's so different to celebrate Christmas as a mom now.  To know what it's like to love a baby more than yourself.  To want everything for them.  That will definitely have to be another post.  But we had a great Christmas Eve.  Sadly we went home and put baby to bed an hour early on Christmas Eve because she was still such a sick little girl.  Now to Sunday...

  

Our 1st Christmas Eve Eve

This year was a great Christmas!  We spent tons of time with family and truly had a fabulous holiday.  On Friday, we spent the evening with my Dad's family.  Harper was SO sick, but she was such a trooper.

Harper loves her Aunt Krissy.  She always has a big smile for her and loves to play with her.  And Grayson always gets a little jealous of all the attention Kristen gives Harper.  This was one of the first times that Harper and Grayson really interacted together.  He was confused when she went after him this time.

Grayson was also sick over Christmas but was also a good little boy.  He loves to name off all his family members, his friends, his favorite cartoon characters, his colors, and animal sounds.  He is so smart!  

Watching his favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He loves to sing along to the "Hot Diggity Dog" song and yell for "Toodles".  

He was coloring like such a big kid.  He loved to pick up his crayons and yell a color, then yell the one you tell him it actually is.  So cute!

She played with her aunties all night long.  Her Aunt Michaela was in town from Michigan and they finally got to meet each other.  At one point Michaela was challenging Harper to a fight, but she backed off scared.  She of course loved hanging out with her Aunt Tay Tay and Car Car.

This was Harper's first ever present to unwrap.  She did a very good job and loved ripping the paper.  

Grayson and Carleigh played Santa and opened tons of presents.

Harper with Mimi and Gigi (my stepmom and her mom)

My brother Eric didn't get into town until 7:30 and was sad when Grayson and Harper had to go to bed soon after.  He asked if they could just stay up since it was Christmas.  No Eric, we aren't enduring a miserable baby because you want to play.   But Merry Christmas!  On to Saturday...