it's still December, so it's still Christmas..

This Christmas was extra special because it was the first for both my niece and nephew.  It's always more exciting to have little ones to shop for.  As adults, some of the magic of the holiday seems to disappear.  It's become less about me being surprised about what is under the tree for me and more about giving to the ones I love.  So, needless to say, it was super fun buying gifts for my nieces and nephew and watching them open them.  I started taking a few videos at some of our holiday gatherings because pictures only do so much.  I want to capture the tiny voices and laughter so I can revisit the moments again and again.  Home videos from when I was a kid are the only way I remember my dad's voice, so I want to take more of them.

The quality of the ones I'm about to post is not great because I just took them on my digital camera.  Also, I sound weird.  Why is that our voices sound so much different on film or answering machines than they sound in our own head?  I can't help but laugh listening to myself.

This one is my niece opening up some of her Christmas gifts.  Oh, and my sister-in-law pretending to be thrilled about her new flannel pajamas.  [My grandmother is notorious for buying everyone the most random presents.  This year she got just about everyone a zip-up hoodie from Old Navy that has ear phones in the hoodie string.  I think half the people she purchased them for don't have any type of mp3 player.  Oh well, gotta love her!]

I don't know how this came about, but my cousin Tanner put two balls in his shirt and started bouncing them around.  He took my wine glass and started acting like a total lush.  He was some sort of drunk Dolly Parton. I thought it was hilarious, but I was a few glasses in.  Who am I kidding, I laugh at it sober.  He struts through the house and interrupts our cousin Gage, who is intently playing some football game, and begins shaking about. 

And a practice round...? I'm not sure what he was going to do with the lampshade, but I bet it would have been hysterical, too.