Family Christmas 2013

Dear Abby,

We have a TON of things going on this Christmas, so we had to have our family Christmas dinner a week before Christmas!  We did our annual Christmas dinner at Buca di Beppo this year.  We headed out for an early dinner and ordered lots of pasta.  This place is a family style restaurant where you order and share everything.  It was very delicious and when it came time for dessert, we did NOT hold back! We knew it was going to be big, but you specifically asked for ice cream, and, well, that's what you got...

If I remember correctly, it was 8 chocolate brownies with 12 scoops of ice cream and then whip cream on top, with sprinkles, too!  I think everyone in the restaurant stared at us for a solid 2 minutes wondering what in the world we were going to do with that.  You and Katie Bug (with a little help from Mommy) showed them EXACTLY what we do with that!  It was delicious and we made ourselves sick off of it.  A good decision, indeed!  We have it on video where you made the famous quote "Don't think about anything but the ice cream."  I say "famous" because Mommy and Mimi said that quote probably a hundred times over the Christmas holidays!  Whenever we felt overwhelmed or were getting bogged down by goofy stuff, we'd say "Don't think about anything but the ice cream!"  I'm going to make t-shirts and sell them.  It will pay for your college. After we demolished the dessert, 

we rolled ourselves out of the place and headed home to open gifts from each other.  

A big part of your Christmas present was Knox, but we had a couple other small gifts that you got to open.  

You were quite pleased with your new leopard print gymnastic leotard, to say the least.

And you loved Kate's lady bug one, too, but you told me you like your's better because it's your favorite color (i.e. leopard print).
You and Kate also got matching snow/rain boots.  They will be perfect for our ski trip!

And guess what?  Mommy got a pair, too!!!

After you opened Mommy and Daddy gifts, you got to pass out the gifts you got for all of us.  You were VERY excited for Daddy to open his...

They look wonderful on him, don't they!!  And you, of course, needed to try the on...

And then it was Bug's turn...

I didn't get a cool set of glasses with a nose, but I did get these really cool (and large) sunglasses!!

It was a FANTASTIC family Christmas, and to say the least, you were exhausted.  This is how I found you when I checked on you later that night!

Merry Christmas Abs!!!!

PS - You and Ellie and Kate helped me make fudge one day.  It was all of your first times tasting the infamous marshmellow cream.  Not surprisingly, you all three loved it!  We might have to make monkey sandwiches one day (when Mommy doesn't feel like being heathly, that is!).  That would be marshmellow cream and peanut butter on bread.  Delicious, to say the least!