Christmas Eve 2017

Christmas Eve Traditions are still going strong....

 With a little change up in our plans from previous years, we began early at Target for a few last minute items....

 then we met our favorite Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Duncan, for lunch!  She is such a joy to spend time with and the children cherish this time with her....

 following lunch, we made our way to the nail salon for our traditional pedicures.  The boys have memories from this year - the workers did a great job cleaning those boys up, lol.

 We rushed home and got ready for our evening candlelight service at church.....

 Following church, we had friends over for chilli, etc....such a fun time together with those who have been friends for many years!  We love this evening every year!  And it is especially special to me since it is a tradition my grandmother began when I was very little....I have very fond memories of being at their house every Christmas Eve!

 Soon the house was full of just our crew so it was time for pjs presents and Twas The Night Before Christmas.  Everyone had matching PJs this year....or, coordinating at least.  

 We love to hear Pop read Twas the Night Before Christmas....thankfully he recorded it for us many years ago so that we can listen to him read even when he is not with us in person.  

 Next was the Christmas Story....through all of the traditions we have as family, it is important to remember the reason for this entire season.  We got a little carried away and just kept reading and reading until finally one little was fast asleep and the others were almost there too.

 The children all slept in the loft together and were asleep early though they will tell you they didn't sleep a wink, ha!  Ryan and I sat down for the evening and watched A Christmas Vacation for a few laughs....this is our tradition and one of us may have the movie memorized, line per line.  

Family Is My Favorite

We had two weekends of great family time with extended family!  My dad and his siblings continue the tradition of Christmas each year with a party for all and a toast to my Papa.  We were missing one brother, Randy, but David, Nancy and Glen were onboard for a fabulous day and dinner!  The Wild Turkey is what they use to toast my Papa....nasty, nasty but it is what my Papa like to take a swig of when needed.

 Good ole Uncle Bert....these two jumped into his lap as if he were the real Santa Claus!

 This sweet baby....she loves to open gifts!

 Gloves and a hat were the perfect addition to her wardrobe....

 Maddox was thrilled too....a warm, soft vest and a mask to sleep in!

 And MK got what she loves most right now....anything Panda!

 We took the three littles to the zoo for a bit....

 statue jumping was a favorite!

 Penguin watching was a highlight for C...

 and later, when the sun had gone down, we took a little carousel ride too!

 Emma and Jay joined us for some evening fun...

 and a pic was in order to capture the event for memory's sake!

 More of dad's family Christmas....

 and all of us in a frame....

 my dad is the oldest of 5 and his brother, David, is the youngest...I loved this pic of the two sharing a laugh together.

 Four boys, and one poor girl.  My Uncle Randy wasn't able to be here for the party.....he and his family live in California so their time visiting here was spent over Thanksgiving.

 My cousin, Drew, and her husband, Kenny, are expecting their first child in January.  We are thrilled for them and we were super excited to have a day to celebrate his much anticipated birth.  Love this crew!  **Funny note....my mom did the invites and my phone started ringing uncontrollably around 1:00....I answered and everyone had gone to our former home!  Bless the people who live there now! Pretty sure they were not expecting 20+ visitors for dinner that afternoon! Luckily, our old home is less than five minutes from our new home and everyone made their way safely for a wonderful afternoon of celebrating Baby Hayes!**

 Oh Chapman.  Bless her little heart.  Sometimes our ideas and hers don't agree and tears ensue.  Ha!  Ryan made his best attempt to hold her up and hide himself so we could get a quick pic of the children!

 This cutie!  She loved her vest and sleeping mask from G-Mom and G-Dad.

 In fact, she loved it so much that she thought wearing it for a pic with G-Mom and G-Dad was in store.  

 G-Mom and G-Dad and their six youngest grands....it was a fun day!

 The flexibility in my girls is amazing!

 This elephant at the zoo was sponsored by the company that G-Dad retired from.  The girls love to climb on him during our visits!

 All of my girls in one pic, smiling and enjoying life!  Love them to pieces!

Meanwhile, off to the side of this pic, stood my sister and the rest of our people watching as my oldest made his over to the news crew.  Colin has always loved a moment under the lights so he took it upon himself to go over and ask to give a "shout out" to his grandparents for Christmas!  Love this guy - he was the news opener for the evening and wished all four of his SC grandparents a Merry Christmas on live TV!  All because he asked.