Christmas Eve

In the past couple of years, we have fallen into a good rhythm with our Christmas schedule. After a fun day with Gramma and Grampa on the the 23rd, Christmas Eve is pretty laid back.  We hang out at home and play with our new toys. This year, the boys found a goodbye letter from Frosty the Elf on the morning of Christmas Eve. They were sad to see Frosty go but oh-so-excited for Santa's arrival!

It was warm this year, so we had to rethink our Christmas Eve church clothes. I still snapped a picture of my cuties out front. Will was a grinch,

so then everyone had to put on a grinch face too!

Mama and her boys.

After Mass, we hustled over to Nana and Pop's for our traditional codfish dinner and bilharacos (butternut squash doughnuts). We were so busy I forgot to grab my camera! Then we came back home, sprinkled reindeer food on the front lawn,

and set out milk and cookies for Santa.

Then two tired but excited little boys snuggled into bed for a long winter's nap!

Christmas with Gramma and Grampa

We celebrate Christmas with my parents on December 23rd. 

The boys were dying to open some presents, so Gramma let them open this cool trampoline ball toy. It was a balmy 75 degrees so they played happily outside til the grownups took over the game.  

Finally, by late afternoon it was time to rip into the gifts!

Gramma and Grampa got them walkie-talkies, and the boys love them!  Will begs to play spymaster with Daddy.

I think Henry's favorite may be the Magformers set. He builds all kinds of things with them.

And of course it wouldn't be Christmas without our annual photo books for the grandparents!

Other Christmas traditions include krumkake

 and carols around the piano.

It was a perfect Christmas with Gramma and Grampa!

Party!

The week leading up to Christmas was full of parties. The first graders at Will's school celebrated the winter holidays with an entire-grade party last Thursday.  

Will was so excited to decorate cookies, eat pizza, and watch a movie!

Sweet first grade boys.  

Henry's class party was last Friday. He and Noah checked out the wrapped gifts under the class tree

and then they decorated "gingerbread" houses. What a fun and tasty craft!

Then it was time for the ornament exchange.  Henry went right for Noah's gift!

Later on Friday, we headed over to Nana and Pop's to celebrate Uncle Mike's birthday! It wouldn't be his birthday without a huge platter of carbonara

and an ice cream cake for dessert.

Happy birthday, Uncle Mikey!

What a fun lead-up to Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a joyous Christmas

from our family 

to yours!

My Little Shepherd

Henry's class performed at the school's Christmas Chapel twice this week. Each child played a role in nativity performance and they sang a sweet song about the birth of baby Jesus.  

Henry was a shepherd,

and so was his best friend Noah.  

The shepherds and the sheep gathered around the little baby to sing their part.

The performance included organ music.  St. Paul's is a gorgeous church!

We were both so proud of our little shepherd! He didn't get nervous at all.

There is nothing sweeter than a group of 4-year-olds singing at Christmas. Joy to the world!

On Being Thankful

After the devastating news about Sandy Hook on Friday, we were so happy to have a stay-at-home day planned for Saturday. It was a good time to be together, cuddling on the sofa, reading books, listening to Christmas music, doing our Christmas baking, and being ever so grateful for these precious little lives.

Yesterday also marked our second anniversary of being in our house. It was the perfect time to reflect on the past two years, which have flown by, and to give thanks for all that we have.

Every day, we are so incredibly thankful:

thankful for sweet friends to walk with in the rain,

thankful for wonderful schools where our kids prosper and make good friends with whom to hang out (literally),

thankful for sweet drawings of cowboys on the Magnadoodle,

thankful for a solid car that lasted over 11 years,

and so so thankful for the new one that will (hopefully) last 11 more,

thankful for ornament exchanges (doesn't everyone need an alien ornament?),

thankful for good friends who invite us to the live nativity at their church every year,

thankful for a plan for the day that includes eating waffles, playing with Henry and playing with Mom,

 thankful for my little bakers,

thankful for my little artists,

 thankful for my cookie decorators and just being together,

and thankful that we can share our baked goods with a senior citizen in the neighborhood for a service project at Will's school.

Yesterday was a day for remembering all that we have, and for hugging our kids just a little bit tighter.