Christmas at our House

Christmas at our house was a very belated affair.  In the midst of all of our celebrations, we didn't make time for Emmy to open the presents that we bought her.  I could have taken them to my parents' house on Christmas Morning, but I knew she would have plenty of stuff there.  I am also just selfish enough that I wanted to give my gifts their own 10 minutes of fame rather than be lost in the crowd. 

She was very motivated to open these packages because she had been looking at them longingly for about a week and a half.



We tried not to go overboard this year, so the gifts we bough her fell into one of four categories. 

• Something to Wear
• Something to Read
• Something You Want
• Something You Need

I didn't actually wrap the clothes that we bought her because I knew she wouldn't really care about opening them.  She was very excited about her new books that Mommy bought at school.




The most exciting gift was of course the Elsa doll that she has been asking for for several months.  Her reaction as she opened it was priceless.  When she found out that Elsa sang, her excitement only grew.  Daddy's sighs might have grown when he learned about this hidden fact as well.

Then there were big hugs for both of us and many thanks.



Bradley and I didn't really buy each other a lot of gift this year.  We got new shirts for Christmas Eve, and neither of us really wanted anything big.  I couldn't let the holiday pass without anything for him to open though so Emmy bought him an ultra soft throw to use in the living room.  He really liked it and has been snuggled up in it on many occasions since.



Before I knew it, the tiny person had cleared out and was taking her new gifts for a test drive.  When I saw this get-up, I knew we had made the right choice.



Merry Christmas gentle readers, and in the midst of all the gifts and family time, may we take a few moments to reflect on what the season is really all about.

Foster Christmas

Grandma and GrandBob surprised us with a visit the day after Christmas.  They brought their Santa sack full of gifts for a special little girl.  The first one she opened, may have been her favorite since she has been wearing it as much as she can ever since.

Grandma Susan made her a Minnie Mouse hat for Christmas, and it was the perfect gift.





She loved her new baby too.



Then came my favorite present!  Grandma made her a mermaid tail just like the one that I found on Pinterest.  I am already envisioning movie nights with this little girl snuggled up in her blanket.



We went out for lunch at Emil's and tried to show them a little small town charm.  Then they came back to our house for Christmas cookies and coffee.  All too soon, it was time for them to go back to Cedar Park. 



We are so glad that they decided to come down and see us.  They are so good about going out of their way to make sure that they get to spend time with all of their grandchildren and great grandchildren around the holidays.  They are just the best.

Christmas 2014

Christmas morning was spent at my parent's house.  We started a tradition of staying in El Campo for Christmas morning when Emmarie was born.  The tradition began because Bradley was working nights at Haliburton, and I wanted him to be able to spend any time that he had during his waking hours with us during the holidays.  We really enjoyed the slow pace and simplicity of being at home for the holidays because we NEVER stayed home during Christmas.  We were always at my aunt or grandmother's house.  Not to take anything away from those memories because Christmas with all of my family is amazing, but there is something special about not having to go anywhere or be on anyone's schedule.

We showed up in our pajamas bright and early (LOL) around 11:00 am.  Mom was cooking breakfast, and we brought our best appetites.  After we were through eating, we moved on to the part Emmy (and secretly all of us) was waiting on--the presents.

She got to open a few presents for little brother first.  She was really excited.  She was even more excited about the Frozen Barbies that she opened next...those were for her of course.







The big kids got to open a few presents during Emmy's reign as well.





Once she was mostly finished with her own presents, she went to "help" Papa with his.



Nana loved her James Avery ring that we got her.





It's really not about the presents at all (even though they are awesome).  Christmas is about getting to spend time with the people that you love and getting to see the joy and love that surrounds everyone during this special time of the year.



Later that afternoon/evening we had Christmas dinner.  I have a "once per year" rule with holiday food, so we decided to make Christmas an Italian affair.  Mom made lasagne; I made spaghetti squash.  It was really good even though it looks like soupy goop in this photo.  Britt made a salad.







Mom even busted out her Christmas dinner set for the occasion.



Right as we were about to eat, we had some Christmas guests show up.  YAY!  Kari finally got to meet Wyatt, and of course he brought his Mommy, Daddy, and Jackson along for the ride.





We had a lot of fun eating, playing games, cuddling the sweet baby, and thinking about how it doesn't get much better than this.  I guess it will get better though because next year, I will have two little babies to rain the Christmas season down upon.  I. Can't. Wait.

Christmas Eve

We spend Christmas Eve at my Aunt Kathy's house.  My Mom's family shows up in force, and we snack away on the best finger foods you can imagine.  We do a white elephant gift exchange and a gag-gift exchange.  We are getting more bold in our choices, and people are starting to become more devious in their strategies and steals.

It is always a beautiful evening of family, fun, and laughter.  This year was no exception. 

Here are some of the foods that we had this year.  Some are traditions (Aunt Kathy's 7-layer dip) and some are new.



And of course we had desserts!



The boy and I in our Christmas Eve duds. 


Christmas is about family, and I think we illustrate that perfectly.



Christmas is also about presents...or at least that's what the littles think.











Every year, I take some photos of all the little cousins.  Our group is growing, and next year there will be at least one more added to the group. (cough cough...Are you having a baby too April?)

Hunter was a year old this Christmas!



Oliver was three years old this Christmas and full of spunk!



Emmarie was three this Christmas too, but I think she might be full of sass.



Halle is our big girl at four years old.  She is a pro at this by now.



Dylan was our newest arrival, and he did a great job of staying still for all the photos.  3 month-olds are good at that.





Getting a group shot of everyone proved a little difficult, so I applied the technique of "snapping, snapping, just keep snapping."  There are at least a few of every child looking even if they are the only one. ;)









When we all get together like this, I try to take a family photo of everyone.  This is something that my mom has done since we were all little.











We try to sneak a few cousin pics and general goofiness as well.





It was an amazing evening and these are the memories that I treasure through-out the year.  We left late, but I didn't mind the drive home because I had lots of blessings to think and meditate on during the drive.