Christmas with Family

Without a doubt, spending time with family is the best part of the Christmas season! This year, we spent Christmas afternoon and evening at Nana and Pop's house and then celebrated on the 28th with Gramma and Grampa. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas celebrations. 

Poetry for Will -- his very own copy of Masefield!

Essentials for Gene -- including Portuguese olive oil, of course

Always reading

More Magformers

Opera glasses

Ready for a tea party

A programmable rover

Pocketknives for the boys

Thanks, Nana and Pop, for a lovely day!

We had a fantastic celebration with Gramma and Grampa too!  

Photo calendar full of pictures of all the grandkids

and the annual photo book

The boys came home with lots of fun books and games!

We are so lucky to have family nearby and truly treasure these special holidays with our very favorite people!

Christmas Eve and Morn

Christmas Eve started with an early Mass at St. Joseph-St. Stephen church, where we left all our books and magazines in the corner of the pew and had to go back to retrieve them later that night!

After Mass, we enjoyed our traditional codfish dinner at Nana and Pop's house. Bilharacos (butternut squash doughnuts) are our Christmas Eve dessert.

Back at home, we sprinkled magical reindeer food on the front lawn 

and set out milk and cookies for Santa.

Then it was time for stockings -- Ruby first! She got two toys and Christmas doggie cookies.

The boys' stockings were filled with oranges, nuts, old-fashioned candy, CDs and playing cards.

Hot sauce for Gene

Presents under the tree

Magformers are always on Henry's wish list!

There's nothing better than Christmas morning at home!

The Days Before Christmas

'Twas the season for cookies and Santa and time with family. We always love Christmas break and the time flies by way too quickly each year. Here's a peek at some of our activities before Christmas day.

The boys and I visited the science museum in Sugar Land.

We made and decorated Christmas cookies.

We celebrated the December birthdays at Nana and Pop's house.

We gave Mary a joke book and she drove her family crazy telling some really bad jokes.

This photo shows the craziness that happens when the whole family is together. Check out Henry's photo bomb!

An attempt for a photo with Nana and Pop and the five grandkids.

Will and I were our running errands one day while Gene and Henry got to work cleaning the house!

We didn't make it out to see Zoo Lights this year, but we headed to dinner at Phoenicia 

and then over to Discovery Green. This is the Enchanted Promenade, full of ten bright peony bouquets by TILT, a French light and art design studio. It was beautiful!

Also at Discovery Green is Firmament, a light display by artist Christopher Schardt.

We also checked out two new art installations at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Wings Over Water by Joe O'Connell & Creative Machines

Soaring in the Clouds by Ed Wilson

We couldn't resist popping in to the Hilton-Americas Houston to see the life-sized gingerbread house. It was incredible! 

Back at home, Freyja ventured downstairs and hid under the tree

and also helped me wrap Christmas gifts.

And one final picture -- a balmy Christmas Eve morning at the farmers market!

Coming up soon -- our Christmas celebrations!