Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas!!!

We started celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve.  Dathan didn't have to work after working out of town for about 10 days, and we enjoyed a fun family day!  After taking care of cleaning house & baking during the morning, we decorated a gingerbread house.  Dathan, being a perfectionist in building & carpentry, was getting a little frustrated at the lack of ability the icing had to hold the house together.  So we eventually busted out the glue gun to get it to stick together, and used the icing to stick the candy on ;)  Sean loved it and did a lot of the decorating.  Nolan just wanted to eat the icing!
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Every year (that I have spent Christmas with my family) we have a tradition that my mom makes a nice Christmas Eve dinner.  She gets her good Christmas dishes out, and we eat a candlelit meal of manicotti, salad, & french bread, and drink sparkling apple cider (although this year we drank cranberry Sierra Mist.  I don't think they could find any).  It was always such a fun tradition as a kid growing up since we never ate on good plates, and certainly never had candles lit during dinner ;)  And I think Sean enjoyed it this year!
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After dinner we left to go look at Christmas lights.  There is a street here where every house puts up an amazing amount of lights, and on Christmas Eve they also line the street with luminaries.  People wait in their cars for hours I'm sure to drive through and look at the lights.  We just parked across the street & walked through... way more fun!  The boys loved it.  Our family picture cracks me up.  This sweet lady walked up and offered to take our family photo for us.  Well, the first shot she barely got Sean in the picture (the one below), the second shot she cut off all of Dathan's head, and the 3rd & 4th shots were blurry, which after the 4th I didn't have the heart to ask her to take another ;)
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We came home & each opened 1 present (which is always our Christmas pj's).  Then we put the boys to bed (but they didn't fall asleep until after midnight!  They were excited!).  Then we got to work putting presents under the tree, putting together the big presents, and stuffing stockings.  It looked like we went SO overboard once everything was out.  That was a combination of presents from my parents, Dathan's parents, and us (plus gifts to extended family & friends).  What a blessing it is to give!
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The boys slept in until after 10am!  We let them, mainly because I know this is probably the last year they will actually sleep in on Christmas morning!  Ha!  I love this picture of them with their sleepy eyes and matching pjs!
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We take turns opening presents one at a time.  The boys did really well being patient and waiting their turn, especially since it gave them time to play with whatever they just opened (there were 7 people total opening gifts- my mom & dad, brother Timmy, Dathan, myself, & the boys).  Nolan only lasted being awake about an hour then was so fussy we had to put him back to bed.  He slept for another 1.5 hours!  He must be growing!  We finished opening presents & then when he got up he was able to open the rest of his.
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After we opened presents and ate breakfast (my mom's traditional coffee cake), Sean helped me decorate the Happy Birthday Jesus cupcakes I baked the day before.  These cupcakes were SO yummy!  I recommend making them!!!
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That afternoon we headed to my grandma's house for dinner with some extended family, and we had a fun time!  The picture on the left is so funny, it's Sean & "4" (Will IV) both playing their DS games.  I think Sean & 4 are step-second cousins... or something like that.  My aunt's stepson's son.
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We had a great Christmas and were so blessed by all we were able to give & receive.  I am so thankful for the reason we have Christmas and how much God allowed it to be a truth & reality to me- that He sent His son to this earth for us.  Emmanuel really has come!!!

1 comment:

amy (metz) walker said...

I love all of the pics...and I like how you do them in a collage. I don't know that I'm computer savvy enough to know how to do that!