As tradition would have it, the Gingerbread houses were constructed and decorated accordingly....
concentration was our top priority as we iced the houses for the candies to stick appropriately.
The boys, being ages 11 and 13, were done in a snap and off to sipping on their peppermint milkshakes as they watched the girls work feverishly on their house....
for the record, the boys did their traditional smile on one side, frown on the other side.
Matthew, our elf, was up to his usual antics just days before Christmas as he went snooping in the girls' tights collection and decided he wanted to perch on our mantel with the stockings. Silly Matthew.
Christmas Eve arrived on time, the children and I all dashed out of the door to get our pedicures....such a fun time for all, the boys enjoy the massage chairs best, the girls enjoy getting their nails painted with designs....me, well, I personally enjoy taking in all of their laughter while trying to figure out what the nail salon workers are saying to one another! Maddox looked at me at one point and said, "Mom, they are speaking Spanish!" to which she was quickly told by the nice lady that they were actually speaking Vietnamese.
We then took off for our annual dash through Target - we love the hustle and bustle, and then it was off for a special lunch treat with Mrs. Duncan. Mrs. Duncan was MK's kindergarten teacher and we adore her, all of us!
Ryan stayed behind at home to do his daddy duties to prepare for Christmas Eve....
At last, Gran and Pop arrived to make the day complete and it wasn't long before we were all dressed and ready to go to church. I am so thankful we worship on Christmas Eve - it is the reminder we all need to keep us grounded on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus's birth.
I have mentioned before that I grew up going to my grandparent's house every Christmas Eve for a party with family and friends. It was something I looked forward to each and every year. We have kept this tradition and invite friends over for dinner following our church service....this makes my heart warm to know that I am carrying on something my grandmother began many years ago and to know that my children look forward to it just as I did as a child.
With the evening coming to an end, the children opened up a gift from Gran and Pop - Christmas pjs and books!
And then it was time to sprinkle the reindeer food and place the cookies out for Santa....
even Colin jumped in to add a dose of magic....
Pop read the annual Twas the Night Before Christmas and then the children, surprisingly, nestled down into their beds and sleeping bags for the long night - they always sleep in one room together on Christmas Eve.
Before we could close our eyes tight, we heard excited voices shouting, "Mom, Dad, it's 6:00! Get up! Get up!!!" To which I rolled over and replied, "Really?! Did you set an alarm? Can we hit snooze and wait 15 minutes?"
And then we met on the stairs for the morning photo.....
And Christmas Day and all of its joy began!
Colin stayed pretty much wrapped in his new Snuggie drinking his favorite drink to date, La Croix. He thanked Finley many times for bringing him his very on 12 pack of this sensation.
Pryce rummaged through gifts looking for the one thing he was sure he would find, a Lego airplane/airport set....
Mason-Kate was all smiles with the many Lego sets she acquired. She is a girl who LOVES a good Lego set!
Maddox Ren was all giggles and surprise as she opened up her gifts....she played and played the entire day.
Another special treat this year was having my sister and her family over on Christmas Day! The children were all so excited to be together!
More gifts were opened, we feasted on a fabulous steak dinner followed by indulging ourselves in Red Velvet cake and Lemon Meringue pie - yumm!
And after all of the fun and excitement was gone, it was time for a long winter nap.....
From our family to yours, we hope you had a very Merry Christmas!
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