Christmas Eve, Day, and following weekend

The Sunday before Christmas was or chance to dress up and take a picture!

We have never put up lights on our house. Each year I want them. Each hear it doers get done. So this year I said to heck with it. I went to walmart bought house lights, came home and called a friend-said to call me in an hour-if I don't pick up please come help because i probably fell off a ladder! I got our ladder and staple fun. Max and Reese were just running around and I keanees a lesson or two or three with how to hang lights the best way but it was fun and I felt awesome when I was done! Josh was shocked! It doesn't look Like much but that took a lot of work and I am proud of it :)

  When Max was born they brought this "huge" (perspective right?) stocking in. We take a picture of him in that very stocking each year!

Hot cocoa and sugar cookie making are a December necessity. 

We did an activity just about every day in December and this day we strung popcorn for our tree!

Another night we had a fancy candle lit dinner. This was their favorite!

Christmas Eve was spent at Lynne and Max's where we always have so much fun playing with cousins and catching up among the adults. 

The kids played tons and asking when they could open the moutain of gifts every 2 seconds. The food was fantastic as always, nice weather. Perfection. This was also night the kids learned how to go down the long and steep driveway! 

  After dinner, but before gifts we sang carols around the piano as Lynne played. 

It's hard to wait turns!! We recieved some amazing and thoughtful gifts this year and are ao thankful :)

We went home, left Santa cookies whih sadly Max thought he was choosing for himself to eat and was so sad we had to leave them for Santa and even more sad to see just crumbs left the next morning!

Christmas morning was a frenzy! The kids loved each of their gifts. They spend the morning, afternoon and evening just playing with them and watching new movies. 

   We had the sister missionaries over for dinner and smokes a turkey, I cooked a ham, had funeral potatoes, artichokes, and all the trimmings! It was a feast!

That Saturday we went to my dad's house to celebrate Christmas and sadly didn't take a single picture! My dad and Judi go all out for us with beautiful place settings and lots of traditional food. :)

So much celebrating. We tried to help the kids keep in mind the reason we cebeate Christmas. It's so nice to have tons of family around, it makes for a really special time of year.