The Passineau Family: Pittsburgh Edition: Christmas Morning 2013

Well, the long awaited post of our Christmas morning 2013, is here (long awaited for hubby & grandparents, that is!) Wow, I took a lot of pictures, unfortunately I had to use my speedlite as it was so dark that morning, but alas, they are candid pics & I wanted to get the moments, not worry about the technicality of the photography ;) The girls were not up early on Christmas morning, surprisingly, they slept in until almost 9, which was nice, because Michael & I got to have coffee & exchange gifts before the madness ensued. The girls, oh wow, they were beyond excited to see if Santa had visited. Their hair was an absolute wreck, due to the previously mentioned vaseline incident (check out my Christmas Eve post for the details), but they had so much fun. Jessica was like a shredder….she just tore through the paper no problem. Ella was a bit more delicate with the wrapping paper & had daddy help her on unwrapping. When they first awoke, they immediately saw their stockings with the hooks in them, of course, the cheapest things I purchased would be the most loved. For those of you that don't know my girls, they are obsessed with all things "Jake & the Neverland Pirates" & all things princess as well, so it was a Pirate/Princess Christmas. They like to take turns playing Captain Hook & they chase each other around wearing their hooks, often while wearing ball gowns, it's very funny! So back to my story, after they opened their stockings we asked them if they had seen anything under their Christmas tree in their room, they said no, but ran upstairs to check. {The Christmas Owl (our version of Elf on the shelf--no offense, but I think Elf on the shelf is a little creepy, but the concept is adorable, so this is what we do) had left them some fishing pole bath games…no pics of him, but he is a stuffed owl who watches to be sure they are good & flies to the North Pole each night to give Santa a report. Each morning, the girls would find him in different locations throughout the house. One morning, he got into the bathroom & got wrapped in toilet paper, another favorite of the girls was when their Barbie was riding on him….they thought that was hilarious!} So after they checked their tree, they made a B-line for the big Christmas tree to check out the presents. We tried to keep order, but in the end, Jessie shredded through her gifts as fast as we could give them to her. For memories sake here are the lists of their gifts from Santa this year:

Jessica:
Laboratory Set
Pirate Treasure Chest
Pattern puzzle set
Cinderella floor puzzle
Play dough candy making set
Beads--animals & sparkle, girls loves to make necklaces

Ella:
Laboratory Set
Sophia talking doll, she talks to her animal friends
Ariel doll, she sprays water & changes color in the bath
Sophia Amulet
Sophia floor puzzle
Shape sorting puzzle..one of those Melissa & Doug wooden puzzles

Stocking stuffers:
Candy cane filled with hershey kisses
Sophia small doll for Ella
Amber (Sophia's sister) small doll for Jessie
Hooks
Sophia undies for Ella
Doc McStuffins undies for Jessie
Necklace making kit with gingerbread men
24 color watercolor set

My folks had sent them some gifts for Christmas morning, so they had those as well. Then 2 days later, their Passineau grandparents brought even more gifts…..so needless to say, the girls were beyond spoiled. Thanks to the grandparents & family that spoiled the girls! They had a wonderful morning & Christmas!

P.S. for those wondering, the lab set seems nerdy, but my girls love it; we've already used a ton of baking soda & vinegar making "volcanos"…fun time :)