Dyksterhouse and Slings Christmas!

Christmas to us is about

Christ's Birth

and Celebrating with

TRADITIONS!

There must be something about recreating something that has always been good.

We start out early and head to visit with

Great Grandma.  She loves a little visit with her Great Grandkids.

The visit had enough energy and excitement to last her a year!

The kids each opened a present with her...it was a great moment.

I truly admire this woman.

The next tradition is McDonalds.

YUP.

This is tradition.

My hubby and his family have always done it...I don't really understand it, but I go with it...

and...the kids LOVE it.

**sorry no pictures of McDonalds...

Here are all of the Grandkids with Grandpa and Grandma...

I love Mark's look...Brody doesn't really like group photos.

We always head to Bronson Park in Kalamazoo for a little walk.

We go to kill a little time...and to freeze.

I was a little bummed that Santa wasn't there this year.

Sometimes he surprises us.

We check out the manger scene.

This poor little lamb...he wasn't expecting so much love!

Then we head to the other side of the park and check out the snowflake lights

and the candycanes.

Eleven years ago we were married and took pictures in front of these snowflakes.

So every year we take a LOVELY picture...

I am telling you...TRADITION.

Then we head back to open presents.

Isn't my neice Joy just adorable?  She is always so HAPPY.

Then we head to church at 11:00 for the Christmas Eve service.

AMAZING.

Then the next day we celebrate with the Slings Family.

Here are a few of the my nieces and my sister, Lori.

For Christmas I made my mom and mother in law a Guess Who game with pictures of our family members.

I pinned it on Pinterest...check it out here.

Guess Who Family Edition

Beautiful Hannah with her new PillowPet!

These two can't take a serious picture to save their lives. 

But they sure can have a lot of fun!

STOCKINGS!

At the Slings family Christmas we have a great meal.

This year we had Sweet Meat...umm..yummy...

Pioneer Woman...you would love this recipe.

Then we chill.  Play a little ping pong.

And eat some more.

We had a great Christmas.

Thanks Lord, for an amazing FAMILY and for the TRADITIONS we can

celebrate because of your BIRTH.

Our Family Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

to you and your families!

This year I let the kiddos decorate the tree...

looking at this picture it is not the prettiest tree on blog world...

but hey...I love that they helped!

This year for our wrapping paper I decided to do:

Brown Paper Packages tied up with String!

(if you didn't catch it...my blog name is Brown Paper Packages.)

Each kiddo received four presents:

1. Want

2. Need

3. Read

4. Wear

I loved this idea I got last year from Sara at: August Fields

The kids all got new hats in their stockings!

Silly kiddos.

This picture is just a favorite of the day!  She loves her Daddy.

E's want was Legos.

Adi wanted a horse for her American Girl Doll.

And KK wanted a sewing machine!

So...they all got busy playing with their new toys.

KK decided she would make some leg warmers and a bag for Adi's new horse.

How cute is that?

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

My amazing hubby got me a new cookbook:

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

A new zoom lens for my camera

and

some funky new shoes...well, I bought those for myself...from HIM.

hee hee.