Livin la Vida Leone: December 2008

Family Christmas celebration at the Senterfeits

Cara and the kids prepare to pass out the gifts...

Nona helps Bella open her art easel

Cara and Elias open up his "Imagination Box" full of dress up clothes, and a curtain for doing shows. Super cool.

Talia digs in with all the excitement of Christmas morning.

Bella Bailarina shows off her new tutu

Bella with her new baby from Abuelo and new blanket.

Elias loved his transformer that Abuelo gave him!

Good Christmas shots

Nannie looking dapper in her Christmas red!

Cara and Karah posing for the cam

Dad's joined the Red Hat Club

Lioness cara in Talia's Tutu

"I'm really tired and I love my new pillow and blanket, but I'm NOT going to go to sleep!"

More Christmas morning

Elias helps Papa open up his surprise gift- a Nintendo Wii system and Bella trying on her new garb.

Elias and Papa put together his castle.

Bella loves on Grandaddy, making his day.

We actually got to sleep until a little after 7am on Christmas morning- totally shocked me. Elias' first words were, "MOMMY! I heard the REINDEER on the roof last night!" Here he is as he examined the milk that Santa drank.

When Bella saw Santa pre-Christmas, she told him she wanted something purple. Here she is opening up her purple ballerina outfit. It's really a princess costume, but to Bella, everything is a ballerina outfit these days.

Here is Elias with Grandaddy opening up his castle set. "Just what I've always wanted!"

Both of the kids are into play-doh these days so they got cool play-doh kits. Elias got the ice cream maker and Bella the barber shop. I really like play-doh too, hence- Santa went play-doh heavy this year.

Dinner with the godchildren

Andres and I are the godparents of a cute little boy named Luis. Andres actually baptised him a few months ago. His little brother Angel's godparents Tom and Ashlea invited us all over for dinner. Here is smiley Angel...

Here is Luis, our godson

Bella the Bailarina

Giovanny dresses up like spiderman

Elias as Peter Pan

Decorating the Christmas tree

The yearly Christmas picture disaster

Every year around Thanksgiving time, we decide to dress the kids all cute in matching colors and sit them in some lovely place for the Christmas card picture. Every year we think it will be easier and faster than the previous year. Every year it ain't. :-) This year, Elias refused to put on anything resembling Christmas garb, we fought with Bella to get a bow in her hair so it wouldn't be in her eyes, and Talia was insistent on giving her latest faker smile. We did antics, we tickled each other, we made things fall off Grandaddy's head, we sung, we joked, we made noises, and did any of it work? No-sirree. We ended up cutting and pasting and getting quite the cute Christmas card, but not by any help from them! Oh well, maybe next year it will be easier...

My little dancers

OK- so my son will want to choke me one day for putting these pix on the web, but I really couldn't resist. Bella is Obsessed with a capital O about dancing, and being a bailarina. So, she has to wear her bailarina-gear at all times. In fact, just daily wear must include tights and some dancer-like skirt. Since Elias is so go-with-the-flow and loves to play with his sister, he decided to dress up like a dancer too- in one of her leotards! I LOVEd it!
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