Sooooo nice...we did it THRICE!

Here I am with our completely overdue Christmas recap. 

This happens each year because Matt loves to run the "Woodland Family Pigskin Pick 'ems" right through Christmas and into the New Year.  This is always a lot of fun for our whole family...the ONLY drawback is that I have to save all of my Christmas stories/pictures/recaps until waaaay too far into the New Year!

That said, the pick 'ems are worth it!
{Congratulations Daren Hackett!}

This Christmas we celebrated three separate times!

We sure are lucky, in that we have our little family {Matt and I}, then each of our extended families who we also love to spend lots of time celebrating the warmth of the holiday season. 

2011 was an extra-special year because we got to see almost all of our nieces and nephews AND  my grandparents in a two-day span!

{December 23, 2011}

Santa came to our house TWO days early because of course he knew that we would be out of town for the 24th and 25th in Sacramento celebrating.
Santa knows everything.

Santa is the ONLY person that brings us gifts anymore because Matt and I have agreed to not get each other things since it is all coming out of the same bank account anyway.

Santa knows who I LOOOVE 

...and he knows who Matt loves too!

That's all of the haul- lots and lots of baking goodies!

Aw!
 I guess I DO rank up there with sugar!!

 {December 24, 2011}

We left San Diego around 5:00am on Christmas Eve morning to head to my Mimi's house in Atwater. This house is where I remember spending almost every Christmas Eve for all of my childhood, but we have not been able to go even once since we have been married. This may turn into an annual tradition, because that stop-over in Atwater cut at least 2 hours off of our initial drive, and broke it up enough to keep us both awake on that looooong stretch of highway 99!

Plus the added bonus of seeing all of these awesome faces:

Mimi making her traditional Christmas breakfast casserole!

Matt snoozing watching the Charger Game

Dave holding a clinic on pocket-sheet folding
{I wish I was kidding}
Mimi and I were obviously rapt!

"YOU got an iPhone4S?? I got an iPhone4S TOOOO!!"
Quality family time with the cousins 

"Uhhhh...rocks?? What did I do wrong this year guys??"

"I can see my teeth reflected in the {Kindle} fire!"

{December 25, 2011}

After finishing our drive to Sacramento, we woke up at the Mikulecky house on Christmas morning.

I suppose Matt and I are both still kids at heart because although we lounged around for about an hour, we STILLwoke up the entire house when we arrived on Mom and Dad Woodland's front stoop at 7:15am!

"Really guys- what was the HURRY?!?"

Our timing turned out to be perfect actually, because then we got to see the real kids{you know, "kiddos" under 20 years old!} unleash on their Santa-fare:

Perhaps the only little guy that "got" the whole Santa thing!

Among a sea of awesome presents this fishing game was the one he was most excited about!

Sweet girl checking her "sock!"

"Look mommy! Santa brought a purple toothbrush!!"

Spending Christmas with both of our families AND having some time just for our "little family" made this holiday season really special-thanks to everyone for opening their homes and hearts to us this holiday season!
And the last thing that made is so special was spending my fifth Christmas with this guy:

***FOOTNOTE***
There were actually LOADS more pictures, but to protect the innocent, unprepared adults from airing their Christmas morning get-up on the blog I will simply say Cindy & Dave, Joyce & Dave, Alicia & Daren, Laura, and Darren, WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
{In fact we love you all enough not to broadcast your early morning pictures}