12.24.2010

Christmas Traditions.

So a tradition that was instilled in me from childhood was opening ONE present Christmas Eve night that was from "Mom and Dad". So tonight we rolled that tradition from my generation to our son's and let him open one present early. I knew the PERFECT one to give him...of course I wanted to get some one-on-one time with him, Jon and I before the hecticness of tomorrow ensued...so I got out the ole Sony and snapped it up! I knew that with him AND my younger sister Emily opening the rest tomorrow morning at my parents it would be difficult to get some nice shots without paper and boxes flying all over..I LOVE Christmas morning. I love getting up..the excitement the anticipation...my parents went all out with the Santa thing. We would leave cookies and milk and Dad would eat them..and they would even write a letter "from Santa" to us...then they would put some stuffing out of a pillow or something on our fireplace where the chimney was and say Santa lost a piece of his beard! We were so amazed and loved it all!

I want to do the same for our son..give him all the time in the world to be a kid who has an imagination and believes in Santa Clause. I love traditions, I love my family..I love togetherness..I love the Reason for the Season (Jesus Christ)..which by the way I'll go ahead and say Happy (early) Birthday Jesus!! You're the reason we're here today! Please folks, don't forget what Christmas is REALLY all about..enjoy the day and your children's faces and the love of your family! Here are some photos from tonight's little present opening adventure!

opening gifts!
He was only 1 last year (had just turned it Dec. 7th) so he really wansn't much into ripping off paper...we had to help him do most of it..but this year it's different and he's in it to win it! :)

Daddy opening the present!
Then of course Daddy jumps in and saves the day (because he's a professional toy box opener) and gets the toys open and ready to be played with!

excited!
Dillon waits with the look of EXCITEMENT on his face! (This is my FAVORITE SHOT!)
Household6Diva FotoFridayand then, she {snapped}PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and Lolli



YAY!
Yay!! It's Slinky Dog off of Toy Story...his collection has gotten BIG! He now has Woody, Jesse, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and Slinky!!

kissin slinky!
He loved it SO MUCH he kissed it! Awe. Precious.

THANKS MOM & DAD!
THANKS MOM AND DAD! FOR AN AWESOME PRESENT!!

Slinky!
AND SLINK SAYS HI! (Don't you love that little foot in the background?!)
This is my entry for MACRO FRIDAY...to see more macro shots go HERE

Oh I LOVE being a parent. Love being Dillon's Mommy and Jon's wife. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!! :)

8 Lovely Reader(s) Said:

Discovery School at First Baptist Heath said...

So Precious.. Perfect captures of a perfect passed down tradition> Merry Christmas to you and Happy Birthday Jesus!

Anonymous said...

Oh how sweet!! I remember when we bought MY Dylan Slinkdog...back when Toy Story 1 came out! LOL Great shots!

Marci said...

Natalie ... love the bokeh in the back! And the love the shot of the "Slink". Merry Christmas! Marci from www.the3phees.com!

Anonymous said...

I love all your photos! I got my daughter the same slinky :) She is OBSESSED with anything Toy Story :] Merry Christmas!

Renegades said...

Kids are such a blessing. Your photos are cute.

Thank you so much for stopping over at my blog and leaving such a sweet comment.

rachel said...

Hey thanks so much for linking up. I'd love to know what kind of editing you did on that shot of Dillon. It looks vintage and I LOVE it. I'm a sucker for babies, bokeh and vintage, so, yeah, that's my favorite shot too!

Unknown said...

Aw, I love that he's kissing it! And I love that he's collecting toy story toys... you think they come alive when he leaves the room? :)

~Shari said...

We also have the tradition of opening ONE gift on Christmas eve (as children).

Now that my grandma has passed on and I now hold the Christmas Eve festivities Hannah got to open ALL of her gifts from her Uncles and Mimi and Papaw.

Oh and that shot of Slinky the Dog and that tiny foot is perfect! LOVE IT!

© 2011 The Franklins, AllRightsReserved.

Designed by ScreenWritersArena