it's all over...

I can't believe Christmas is over.  When I was a kid I remember thinking that Christmas took FOREVER to get here.  Now that I am older it seems to come really fast and then it's over before I know it.  I love Landon's enthusiasm about keeping Christmas alive.  After hearing that the radio station, that dedicates the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas day to playing Christmas music, had stopped playing Christmas songs he declared, "Well they can't stop us from playing Christmas music!  We can listen to it all year long!"  That's my boy

Don't get me wrong, we had an amazing Christmas.  Two Christmases, actually.  One with my family and the next day we had another Christmas with Chris' family.

It all started with a Christmas eve service at church.  During the service the kids were all invited on stage to watch a short video and hear the story of Christmas. So cute to hear the story of Jesus' birth from a child's perspective.

We came home and opened our Christmas eve present...new Christmas pajamas.  After the children were nestled all snug in their beds we watched The Help and cried our eyes out (with the exception of Chris who is dead inside-  love you Babe!). 

Christmas day with my family was wonderful.  I know that some families don't enjoy spending time together or fight like crazy when they are together but I seriously love spending time with my family.  I wish we lived closer and were able to see each other even more.  I know my mom is only an hour away and Dommy and Alicia are only a little further than that...trust me I am thankful.  I just want to be able to see them every day.

Now, you would think that I would have taken a ton of pictures of our day.  A mass of pictures of opening presents, playing games, going for walks, the amazing food, eating dinner....well, I was so busy enjoying my family that I didn't take a single picture all day.  Not one.  My camera actually never even made an appearance.  I felt really guilty about it for a while.  Now that I have had time to think I am just thankful that I enjoyed a wonderful day full of good memories with my family.  Here are the few pictures we got with camera phones...

warming ourselves by the yule log on Christmas eve...

a walk to get the puppies used to each other...it kinda worked!

my Christmas table...thought I would stick with the paper theme this year.  Landon helped me with the snowflakes.


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Christmas number 2 was pretty wonderful too!

The kids brought the new rollerblades that Memejo got them for Christmas.  They were eager to show off their "skills".  They haven't quite gotten the hang of it but they are having fun!

This is Ashlyn, pre-big fall.  She fell and bruised her bottom something good and decided she was done with rollerblading for the day.

Basil even got to go for a run while we raced around on our bikes.

Ashlyn got a sewing machine from Papa and Emay and she was determined to learn how it worked...

thank goodness Emay knows how to sew and was able to assist her.

After an exhausting Nerf gun war...

Landon spent a lot of time with Daddy and Uncle Craig's old LEGOs.


The boys spent some time cooking...

and posing...

GQ here they come!  (I'm pretty sure Chris is going to kill me after he reads that! Heeheehee!)

The theme of the meal this year was Mediterranean and they did not disappoint...

Papa even made baklava for dessert which I didn't get a picture of because I was too busy stuffing my face!

We had a beautiful day and made a lot more wonderful memories...

Emay even got one of Ashlyn's famous massages...

We were blessed to have this time together.  

Everyone was feeling good and we laughed and enjoyed both of the days with our families.  My prayer is for many more Christmases to come spent with family, celebrating Jesus' birth and the amazing gift of God's love.