Christmas 2011

Below are pictures from our Christmas season.

Brenna loves her Great Grandma Dede. The two spent a lot of time "calling" each other on Brenna's play phone.

Six grandkids all ready to have a slumber party with Grandma Sharon. The four older ones got to stay up late one night to watch Cars 2.

For the past few months, since we watched all six movies together, Dillon and Connor have been obsessed with Star Wars. Dillon loved getting some action figures and a Bubba Fett gun (not pictured) from Uncle Jason.

Connor couldn't believe that Uncle Jason got him the Millennium Falcon.

We celebrated Christmas at Grandma Barbara's house on Thursday, where Bradley and Connor had a great time on the see saw.

The feast at Grandma's was, as always, delicious. We ate a very southern Christmas dinner, chicken fried steak.

Friday night was spent at Grandma Dede and Pops' house. Brenna had already become a present unwrapping expert and tore through her gifts with unexpected efficiency.

Someone got so excited over opening Christmas presents that they had a hard time controlling their bladder. (Just kidding, Brenna spilled her water in the funniest place possible.)

The next day we opened presents and stockings at Papa and Grandma Sharon's house. Grandma Sharon stuffs their stockings so full that she needs to hold them to the mantle with 50 pound weights.

Connor, Kaleb, and Dillon watching Toy Story 2.

Christmas Eve we drove back to Sonora in time for Santa to bring Brenna her doll stroller (the doll was courtesy of Aunt Terri) and the boys light sabers.

Christmas day we went to church and then to Papa and Grammy's house. There the boys and Trent honed their light saber skills with epic battles against the dreaded Darth Vader.

The Cummings had a few friends over and we sang Christmas carols before we opened gifts. I belted out the chorus to "We Three Kings".

One of their gifts included some balloons all the way from Japan. They were quite a hit, so much so that we had to put them away just to get the kids to finish opening their presents.

Of course, like every year, the kids got too many gifts.

One of Trent's favorite things to do is come over and play "yegos" at our house. So Dillon made Trent his own Lego figure and put it in with his present. Trent didn't let the figure get out of his line of sight the rest of the night.

Mission Impossible

Good idea: Taking a picture for your Christmas card right before Thanksgiving.

Bad idea: Taking a picture for your Christmas card right before nap time.

Christmas 2010 Highlights

This year's Christmas was up and down. The lowlights included: an accident in Oklahoma kept my aunt and uncle from making the trip to Shafter, a death in our extended family, flooding at my parents house, and the Browns moving from California to Oklahoma.

But these things did not keep us from enjoying our time with the family. The highlights included:

Brenna napping with her Papa.

Brenna enjoying her first Christmas. Like the boys before her, she was more interested in the paper and boxes then the gifts themselves.

Connor finally understanding the idea of getting gifts. He was able to remember what people gave him and got excited each time we were opening presents.

Dillon getting an enormous amount of Legos. On top of what he got as gifts, I was able to find my old Legos that were being stored at my parents' house which will add to his massive collection.

Santa's little helper not wearing her Santa hat that went with her Christmas dress.

Jason really liking his Robin shirt Christina got him. So much so that he made Jonathan wear his Batman shirt so he could take this picture.

Uncle Larry giving me this Lakers warmup jacket. I know it pains him (as a Suns fan) to have to buy anything Lakers but he was a good sport about it.

On a side note, I don't have any pictures from Christmas with the Cummings because I left my camera at home and have not gotten the pictures taken with Michelle's camera. I will be posting those highlights after the first of the year.

Merry Christmas

One more video

I know my last couple of posts have been videos but I took a lot of pictures during the week. The best way to view those pictures are in slide show form. Plus, Dillon loves watching these kinds of videos. Below is Dillon and Connor's Christmas week.

Christmas with Barbara's Bunch

This Christmas, all of my Mom's siblings were in Shafter for my Grandma's birthday party and Christmas. Below is are highlights of both events and everything that happened in between. And yes, that is a 70 year old jumping rope.

Merry Christmas

Below is our Christmas card picture. As an added bonus, I have also included the card the Cummings sent out this year.




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Now playing: Bing Crosby - I Wish You A Merry Christmas (2006 Digital Remaster)
via FoxyTunes

Christmas Part Two

More of our Christmas pictures below:


Connor and Trent getting ready to have their first Christmas.


Grandma Ginni helping Dillon open some presents on Christmas Eve.


One of those presents was a re-gifted joke present from the Evans. Someone had given this outfit, straight from France, to Trent. Obviously, it was too hideous to throw away.


Dillon hamming it up for the camera.


Santa brought Dillon the Dinoco Helicopter, a toy guitar, and more Cars toys.


Now Dillon can play Rock Band with Mom and Dad with a guitar that is his size.


Santa brought Connor a complete set of baseball cards. Dillon also was given a set of baseball cards for his first Christmas from Santa.


Otis had to check out Dillon's presents from Mom and Dad. Don't worry dog lovers, Santa also brought Otis some Christmas treats.


This isn't Christmas related but it was too cute to not post.


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Now playing: Fleet Foxes - Quiet Houses
via FoxyTunes

Christmas Part One

Christmas was so big for us that I am having to post pictures in two parts. Below are pictures from our trip down to Shafter.


Connor met his great, great grandmother. Dillon and Kaleb also wanted to be in the picture with Mum.


Granny Barbara wanted to take a picture with all of her great grandkids. My Christmas wish was to snap a picture with all the kids looking in the same direction. Sometimes you just don't get what you want.


The pictures in this collage were taken for Uncle Larry's present. They were too cute to keep to myself, especially Connor stuffed in his stocking.


Our first Christmas celebration was at Pops and Grandma Dede's. Connor got help opening his presents from Grandma Sharon.


Next, we opened presents at Papa and Grandma Sharon's house. Dillon and Kaleb each got a hand stitched Cars blanket from Grandma Sharon. I bet you can guess what Dillon now wants to take to bed with him at night.


Finally, we opened presents at Granny Barbara's house. Dillon was very excited about his Lightning McQueen rolling suitcase. He can't wait to use it on his next trip to visit Grandma Sharon.

Part two of the Christmas pictures will come later.



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Now playing: Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down
via FoxyTunes

Merry Christmas

Pictures from Christmas to follow. Until then enjoy the Christmas card (below) the Cummings sent out.



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Now playing: Bing Crosby - White Christmas (2006 Digital Remaster)
via FoxyTunes

Holiday Catch Up

This Christmas was a very busy time for the Nixons so I thought I would post what we were up to for the last two weeks.

The weekend before Christmas was spent with the Cummings and Evans. I got a sweet Hawaiian Jamba Juice shirt from the Evans. I now need to find a matching one for Dillon because I have passed on my love of Jamba to my firstborn.

Dillon and I both love the Caribbean Passion and Orange Dream Machine. Here he is on our trip down to Shafter. We have learned to get him his own cup of Jamba...

...because this is what happens when you take his Jamba away from him. By the way, James sent me the following Jamba Juice related video via email with a note that read "Jimmie = Chris Parnell's character."

Jamba Juice - SNL

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Papa and Grandma Sharon helping Dillon open a present while Kaleb enjoys the box of one of his presents.

Uncle Larry helping Dillon with his new motorized tractor. I know that in the summer time I will arrive home from work to find Dillon pulling Otis in the trailer of this tractor.

The theme of this Christmas for Dillon was trains and tractors. Here he is opening up his Lionel wooden train set.

On Christmas Day I had to come back to Sonora to work while Dillon and Christina stayed in Shafter. Now don't feel too bad for me because I spent my evenings playing Rock Band on the PS3 with James. I jammed on the drums while James shredded on the guitar. Our band, the In-N-Outlaws, is on the way to rock and roll stardom.

Three days after returning to Shafter I had to drive back to pick up the family. But the trip was not a waste because Saturday evening was Taylor's third birthday party.

Taylor got plenty of Princess shirts, toys, shoes and dresses for Christmas and her birthday. After her birthday Dillon, Christina and I drove back to Sonora because Christina's cousins, the Naves, were up from Thousand Oaks for New Year's.

New Year's Eve day the whole gang, including the two horses, Otis, Brandy (the Cummings' dog), Snoops (the Evan's dog), Shadow (the dog the Cummings were dogsitting), Lulu and Bently (Michelle's boss's dogs), all went for a walk around the neighborhood. This parade got quite the looks from passing cars.

We even put Shadow to work pulling Dillon's stroller.

James and Scott came to the conclusion after viewing the Time Person of the Year cover that I looked like Vladimir Putin. That meant I had to deal with Russian jokes and stupid nicknames like Jimmie Putin during New Year's.

I don't see the resemblance.

But James used his mad photoshop skills to help everyone else see the likeness.

Though there was a lot of driving involved, we had a wonderful time with family over the holidays.


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Now playing: KT Tunstall - Through the Dark
via FoxyTunes