Christmas Eve and Day

Christmas Eve we headed over to my parents house.  We always start with family pictures.  The inspirational couple who started it all.

 

 

All of us.

 

This is what happens when you give your camera to a 5 year old. ;)  Chuckle.

 

While we waited for dinner to get ready the kids decided to have a dance party.

  

   

We had a delicious dinner as always.  Mom always likes to try and find some fun Christmas drink.  This year it was a Christmas tree shot.  At dinner we have a tradition of going around the table and making toasts.  This year they consisted of, “to health”, “to mom and dad who started it all”, “to future additions to the family”, “to family”, to the Vikings”, “to being able to celebrate together”, “to having jobs”, “to dad’s retirement in March!!”, and the best one from the 5 year old…” to baby Jesus being born!”.

 

 

After dinner and clean up we opened presents and played with all the new goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

We headed to the 10:00pm mass.  It’s always so beautiful.  The kids always fall asleep during it, but there is just something about being at the evening mass that I enjoy.  Plus, mom has been a part of the program before mass for the past few years now so we go and watch and listen to the beautiful music.  After mass we came back to our house and the boys woke up quick.  We put out cookies for Santa and said our goodbyes to Elfie. 

Morning came and the boys found all their gifts and goodies from Santa.  He brought some smaller stuff and then a air hockey table in our basement. 

After the boys had some time to play with their stuff from Santa, we opened our family presents.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

After we cleaned up, we headed over to mom and dad’s again for brunch and more time together.  We played with all the new presents and games.

 

 

What a blessed Christmas we have had.  We get to have one more celebration in January with Barb yet.  Merry Christmas!

Folding clothes, hot cocoa, and light drive

 

We cleaned the house today and something that always seems to consume our weekends is laundry.  It’s ridiculous.  The boys separated socks for us. 

 

Another one of our traditions is our night light drive with hot cocoa, so after baths we jumped in the car and headed out.  Lucas fell asleep very quickly, so he didn’t get to enjoy too much of it.  Eventually Connor was the only one awake, so the three of us enjoyed some lights.

Christmas with Papa John and Yaya

We headed to Eau Claire for the weekend to celebrate Christmas with John and Lynn.  When we got their Friday evening the boys put on their pjs and got out their sleeping bags and pillows and we all vegged out watching movies and eating popcorn. 

Saturday morning we lounged around playing Wii, helping clean up after breakfast, playing the piano, etc…

 

 

 

The boys were sent on a scavenger hunt to find their presents.

 

   

 

 

 

 

After they found them we had to of course go try them out.

   

 

   

 

 

 

Of course mom and dad had to try them out as well.  It’s funny though how the majority of the pictures were off when I fell and none of when I actually  made it down the hill.  The one time. ;)

   

   

 

We went back to Papa John and Yaya’s house and had dinner and played some more. 

 

 

Before we headed out we went to a place called Cherry Berry.  It was really cool.  They have a wall of different frozen yogurt flavors and you can take little cups and sample whatever you want first.  Then when you decide what you want there is another wall full of toppings and a salad bar type of thing with fruit.  You pay by how much it weighs.  Super fun and super cute inside.

 

 

 

Thanks Papa John and Yaya we had a great time.