Christmas Eve ~ A visit from Santa!

It is our tradition to spend the evening with my brother and his family after church.  Splitting our day like this and taking turns to host has worked out so nicely.  We usually have heavy appetizers for dinner at Mike and Michelle's house which works great.  It's a treat to just get to show up and eat!  I'm grateful for their hospitality.

The kids are always very excited to be together again.  And Santa often has time to drop by and make an appearance.  This year was no different.  I was downstairs with the kids and trailed behind them when we heard Santa arrive so I missed those awestruck expressions, but I did capture them sitting on Santa's lap.

Isaiah was up first...



Isaiah is such a sweet boy...and isn't he handsome?  I really enjoy him.  And when I hug him his head tucks right under my chin.  It's just crazy! 



Isaiah was terrified of Santa as a small child and Noah carries that trait as well.  Isaiah sweetly delivered his package and Noah called out a muffled, "Thank you!"  :)



He clutched his gift and kept his eyes closed.



Matthew was up next.

He was very concerned that Dan wasn't there and that he was missing it...I told him that the neighbors came by and needed some help carrying something heavy...he was so disappointed for Dan he wanted to go and get him.....

He later remarked that Santa had the same ring as Daddy....which I pointed out is quite common since it is a simple gold band.

Dan was indeed very sad to miss it...and it was disappointing as you never know if Santa will have time to stop on Christmas Eve next year.  After all, it is an especially busy night for him.



Andrew was thrilled to be next.



And finally, the "Solid Gold" Dancer. I mean, Bugaboo.



The kids were really happy with their gifts, and then it was time to head home.

Auntie Shannon gave us reideer food and so Kaitlin made sure we sprinkled that in the yard and then changed into PJs and set out cookies for Santa.  I did not take a lot of photos this evening at Mike & Michelle's or after returning home.  Truth be told, I was worn out.  I didn't take as many photos on Christmas either. 

 

We sat on the sofa and read the Christmas Story and The Night Before Christmas.  The kids were so excited for Christmas. Their excitement just creates the magic behind the holiday.  I thought perhaps they might have trouble sleeping, but no, they were asleep in no time, and sometime in the night.....



Santa arrived!!!

Chistmas Eve ~ Part 3 ~ The Living Nativity

We took a couple very quick pictures before heading off to Christmas Eve church. Church is always one of my favorite parts of the holiday.  But this night it was extra special because the children would be participating in the service.



A quick photo with Nana too.



We arrived at church to find Kennedy& Kaitlin coordinating so nicely that a photo was in order. Kaitlin picked out her dress when she was shopping with Nana.  It's a little more flashy than our usual Christmas Eve attire, but she was happy & she did look awfully cute.



We changed the kids into their costumes and they lined up for instruction.  This was one of the few non-chaotic moments in this room.

The rest of the time it was complete mayhem.

The children were running everywhere.

Shepherd staffs were being used as weapons....there was definitely not a lot of reverence being shown for the roles they were about to play.  No method acting in this group.

It was completely crazy and normally it would make me crazy too, but on this particular day I loved it.  I loved that the kids were at home here.  I loved that they have friends that they are comfortable with.  Perhaps the costumes had something to do with it.  That might actually be a good strategy for days that we know are inclined to be stressed....Wear a costume!

Because it's harder to get annoyed with a wise man for some reason.








The wise men and the king slowed down enough to participate in a blurry photo.  Andrew started with the gold and ended up walking into the sanctuary with the chest...clearly some bartering when on behind the scenes.



Another mom with older kids kindly offered to stand with the children while they waited to enter so that we could sit and watch them come down.  I was grateful.  I took my seat with Dan and it was fun to see we had small group friends surrounding us....





As Sharon read the Christmas story, the children entered. This was Sharon's last Christmas service as she is retiring after 32 years.  She will be missed.....  Last summer she rearranged the VBS leaders just so that Andrew would be matched with someone that he would do well with.  Every child is important.



Carter and Kennedy were among the first to enter.  I love how Carter looks amused at his sister's sloooow crawl down the aisle.  She was too much in that sheep's costume.  It was a little too big which definitely added to the charm.



The cow (Keela) was peeking in on the manger behind Kennedy.  She was perfectly comical as well.

 

I converted this to black and white because it wasn't a good photo...but Andrew and his friend Samuel were the first wise men to arrived.  Andrew hid his face a bit behind the chest, but his courage grew as he stood on stage.



You can see Matthew's discomfort as well. Truth be told, they loved doing this, I think it was just unnerving having all eyes on them for this moment.  Clearly they don't have Kaitlin's panache for performing.

 

Andrew and Samuel were cute to watch.  I think they really had fun together and even felt quite comfortable having a bit of a visit.



Matthew, however took his job quite seriously.



He did enjoy himself as well.



The angels arrived and Katie spotted Gracie in the balcony with her sisters.  She just lit up.



As usual, she was quite comfortable on stage.

All of the children were invited down to join in singing Silent Night.



This is always one of my favorite moments on Christmas Eve.



Our little Angel and wise men after their performance..

This service was really my favorite part of the Christmas holiday.

Dan and I have looked for a church experience like this since we were married.  This church & the people in it mean a lot to both Dan and I.  It is the community that we have searched for.  It is what we wanted for our children to grow up in.  It has been more than I had ever hoped for, for us.  It isn't perfect.  But it suits us perfectly.

And so sitting in the pew this sacred evening, surrounded by dear friends, celebrating our Savior's birth and seeing our children participating in this precious (and charmingly funny) nativity with other children that we know and love ~ my heart was filled with joy, and gratitude.   And contentment.
 
This will be one of those memories that will long be cherished and bring a smile to my face for many years to come.

Christmas Eve ~ Part 2

My brother's family arrived and we attempted a family photo.  Last year we got a great photo in one attempt.  This year we tried a few times and called it good!

My camera was having trouble and I didn't get many great photos over the holiday.  The flash wasn't working consistently for some reason, and my camera is an old entry level DSLR and even with the settings maxed out it just couldn't take the low light photos in the early part of the day and the evenings.  So I was disappointed in a lot of my pictures.  But enough turned out to remember the holiday.

 

First up was brunch!



And English crackers!






Love this one of Isaiah and Michelle.



Our brunch menu is simple and also traditional.  Dan grills sausage, Mom makes an egg casserole with homemade salsa, I do a french toast casserole and we usually have fresh berries and pineapple.  Cranberry juice mixed with 7up is a festive drink.... Followed by Christmas cookies!



And then finally, the moment the kids have been waiting for!  Gifts!!  Over the course of the holiday we celebrated with 14 people, so there were lots of gifts under the tree.



Love these excited faces.







Big boxes always attract lots of attention.



What's inside?!



So exciting!!!



Our little Repunzel.  I have to say, I'm not a fan of the hair but she loves it.





These two are so cute together.  They shared that chair most of the morning.  Opening gifts side by side.

 



Once all the gifts were opened they were found in a corner happily playing.



Isaiah opened the last gift for the kids and then they ran off to play and the adults share a quieter Christmas together.  It works out nicely.



Dan was pleased with his Scotch from Mom.



Sadly this photo is blurry.  But Michelle brought back cashmere scarves from Scotland for us that were beautiful.  I happened to buy a scarf for her as well (from my worldly travels to the local Nordstrom), so we had a theme going!



Proof that you're never too old to snuggle your mom.



We had a wonderful Christmas celebration and then Mike & Michelle left to get ready for the rest of their day and welcome Michelle's parents while we cleaned up.



After cleaning up we had around 10 minutes to spare before getting ready for church.  My mom grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico (where my parents met).  We enjoy the food from that area ~ which is quite different from Mexican food elsewhere.  Mom made Psole for lunch which was delicious.

Dan snapped these photos and I like them because it just captures a quiet moment at home....



The Diet Coke can is a definite fixture where my family is concerned.  Andrew was working Legos at the table and I was giving Kitti a kiss.  Dan had the "Yule Log" playing on tv. :)  It was small peaceful moment in an otherwise very busy (but very fun!) day.

Up next was church and the living nativity!