Well, this is really Christmas #2, but I don't have pics from #1 yet so I'll start with this celebration. As usual, we celebrated with just our little (not so little anymore) family on Christmas morning. The tradition is for the girls to wake up and immediately come to our room. Jeff and I run out to the living room to get the lights on and breakfast started. And, then before the girls can come out, we read the story of Jesus' birth and say a little prayer. Then we let the kids bust out and see what delights have arrived for them. We always fill their stockings and also get each of them a "big" present in addition to some presents. These are the boys' big presents ... little mini coupes.
The girls got bikes this year. Well, Jens got Emma's bike revamped and Ems got a new one. Both girls were in love with them!
This was the "coveted" present. We gave the girls each $10 to spend on one another. Emma bought Jenna this same doll but the Cinderella version. Emma immediately asked Jenna to buy her the Bell. Of course, Jenna couldn't keep it a secret, but we did try to throw Emma off. She was super excited when she saw her Bell doll!
Micah was more interested in the vacuum cleaner. :o)
A book for me and Emma to read together and then the movie to watch!
Noah was interested in the wrapping paper.
Emma and her photog skills. Pretty good! :o)
It was so beautiful outside that we had to take the new bikes out for a ride. The boys tagged along... actually we chased them around!
In the afternoon, my family came over to celebrate. We played games and watched the kids enjoy the new toys.
Cousin Ray
Jeff had Luke this year in the gift exchange. Luke loves all things Star Wars, so when Jeff got this pullover hoodie that looked like a Jedi piece if clothing, we thought that Luke needed it fore sure ... despite the pattern. Luke's such a great sport and put it on immediately! We quickly swapped this out with one of his real presents! :o)
Holly and Ray also had a fun gift for Jeff and me. Evidently when they got here, Holly went around our house and hid several different clues. We had to do a scavenger hunt to find our gift which ultimately ended up being Mario Cart! Fun!
Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of any of our Christmas traditions new or old! This year we added family puzzles and Christmas morning cinnamon rolls to our list of traditions. Next year, I've got to remember to do a small birthday party for Jesus! On a side note, when we went to get the boys up, we were telling them that it was Jesus' birthday and Merry Christmas! On a euphoric moment, Emma began shouting Happy Birthday to Jesus which then switched to talking to Jeremiah. She soon realized that Jeremiah must be attending the best birthday party ever and began telling him how much she loves him and how excited she is that he gets to be with Jesus on his birthday. Despite the fact the words were quite possibly an overflow of present excitement, I was full of tears and so happy that we could make Jeremiah a small part of our Christmas morning!
Another Christmas in the books. This one was much easier than the last. The season began a bit tough as many memories began flooding back, but it ended quite well. I am thankful for another year of family, laughter, and memories.
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