Christmas Eve Fun

We spent Christmas Eve at home getting ready for Christmas Day, and enjoying lots of baking and cooking. Jamie and the kids helped me bake several different things throughout the day. We made more pretzel treats, homemade cat treats (at Hanna’s request), pumpkin pie, gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies. Most of our day was spent in the kitchen:-).

After dinner, we took our yearly drive around two neighborhoods that we save just for Christmas Eve light looking. We love looking at Christmas lights throughout the entire month of December, and have saved our favorites the past 3 years for just this night. It was lots of fun. It was super great because Jack didn’t talk nonstop, and Jesse didn’t cry at all!! Jamie and I couldn’t believe we actually rode in peace and were even able to carry on a conversation most of the time!!

It is a tradition of ours to decorate cookies for Santa each Christmas Eve. Jamie and I put Jack and Jesse to bed, and then he, Hanna, Joe and myself decorated our cookies.

I’m not sure what Joe did more of—decorating the cookies or eating the decorations:-). Either way, he had fun, and that’s what matters most!!

Hanna and I both agreed we liked making snowflake cookies using the white pearled sugar beads the best.

After we finished decorating all of our cookies….

….we put them on our Cookies for Santa plate along with some chocolate milk. Hanna made this plate at The Mad Platter when she was 5, and we’ve used it each year since. I love it—it’s so sweet.

There was one thing left to do—put the food outside for the reindeer. After this, Hanna and Joe went to bed very excited! I’m sure they were both slow to fall asleep.

Jamie and I actually had our “ducks in a row” this year and were able to do nothing but watch a movie together the rest of the night. This was such nice change to the usual. I hope we remember this next year. We both went to bed very excited for Christmas morning.

Family Night Nativity Play

We began a tradition last year of using our handmade Nativity puppets to act out the story of Christ’s birth. I made these, and hope to use them for many years. I hope my children will one day look at them and recall so many special moments we had together using them to retell the miracle of our Savior’s birth.

It was lots of fun and I was so happy for the enthusiasm to do this again this year. Hanna and Joe had both been asking me for a couple weeks when were we going to get out our puppets for Family Home Evening.

I read the story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible while Jamie and the kids acted it out with the puppets. Afterward we talked for a little while about how different Christ’s birth was compared to Jesse’s.

After our lesson, we had some pretzel treats, the same treats we made last year for this Family Home Evening. Hanna and Joe helped me make them, just as they did last year.

Next, we watched another movie that has become Christmas family tradition—The Polar Express. We all really enjoy this movie. We watched it all snuggled together under blankets because our family room gets so cold in the winter time. There is something about this movie that Jamie and I both agree feels “magical”.

It was such good family night. I loved every minute of it. I can’t wait to spend the rest of this week and weekend all home together. I am thankful for this special time of year, for my family, and for all of the traditions we are continuing, and starting each year together.

It’s Christmas Time—Take Two

This evening we got together with my side of the family for my uncle’s birthday and Christmas.  It was another fun time for everyone—of course, I think the kids enjoyed it the most! 

After a nice dinner it was time for my uncle to blow out his candles.  His favorite cake is pound cake, so that’s what he got!!  Joe was more than happy to help him with the candles, and obviously Jamie too, as I noticed in the background when I edited pictures.  The expression on his face cracked me up!  I’m hoping he was joking around:-).

After opening presents….

….it was time for the kids to open theirs.  They were seriously bouncing off the walls waiting.  They opened their gifts from my Uncle first, and then their stockings that my mom gets them each year.  She’s done this since Hanna’s first Christmas.

Joe was happy to get more dinosaur tracks for his Hot Wheels collection.  He loves setting these things up and making all sorts of different “stunts” for the cars.

Jack’s fave was more trucks!  He got Road Rippers.  Joe never got into the Road Rippers, but Jack LOVES them.  I think it is so funny that as a parent so many of the toys I see and say to myself, “Oh, we will not have that one at home, no way!”, ends up being in our playroom months or a couple years down the road because one of the kids likes it so much—well, Road Rippers definitely falls into this category!  Hanna had fun helping Jack open his gifts.

Hanna was very excited to get money from Uncle Eddie this year.  She is saving any Christmas money and allowance for our February weekend trip to the American Girl store.  We took her there for her 8th birthday and it was SO much fun. She has wanted to go back ever since and she can’t wait!  Jesse got clothes.

Joe was very, very excited to get his very own Webkinz.  He’s seen Hanna collect these animals for a couple years now, and he thought it was so cool to have one of his own. 

Hanna’s faves, a St. Lucia’s wreath for the American Girl, Kirsten—you’d think Hanna was getting the doll or something:-)--my mom made this crown because it was all sold out online.  She did an amazing job!!  Now, we’ll see if Hanna gets a doll to wear it!

The American Girl book, Meet Rebecca and a Godiva chocolate bar.  I think the bar was supposed to be for me:-).

Jack’s faves were by far M&M’s!  He’s still easy to please—we haven’t made him rotten—yet.  He also liked getting one of his favorite books about trains.

We got some good family pics too.  Here is one of me, my mom, Grandma and Hanna.

Jamie and Jesse:

Sweet Jesse with his big, blue eyes and his little, clasped hands.  His face is getting so chunky!

My Grandma, Hanna and Jesse:

Me and Joe:

Me and Hanna:

  

Jamie and Jack:

And, where was Jesse most of this time? 

Jesse fell asleep with Pop Pop.  He is holding his stocking stuffer from Nana, a flat out bear.  I’d never seen these things before, but it is so soft.  My mom has a knack for finding unique things online for the kids and this is one of them. 

We all had a good time.  It is so fun to get together with family.  After family get togethers like we’ve had this weekend I always wish we did things like this more often.  Time passes so quickly and it seems like there’s never enough of it for making memories and having fun together.  I know that’s why it is so important to make the most of each and every day. 

It’s Christmas Time

We got together with Jamie’s family today for Christmas.  The kids had alot of fun!  They made sure to show their true colors and run around like monkeys towards the end.  Jack even climbed some of the furniture as Jack does best, like a true monkey:-).  This behavior was brought out after this….

….sugar overload from Christmas tree cupcakes and Nerd candy garland, courtesy of Grandma. 

The kids had fun opening their presents.  The boys enjoyed their trucks most—as boys do, and they also got some adorable pajamas!  I love pajamas and was looking forward to seeing their new Christmas pj’s way more than they were:-).  I hope this is a yearly tradition—hint, hint!!

 

 

Hanna loved her American Girl pj’s, baking set and cat blanket Patty made for her with cats all over it.  Aunt Jennifer gave her some adorable fuzzy slippers.  Hanna had to go put these on after opening them, and of course I got a picture.

 

We got some good family pictures too.  Here is me and Jack.

Hanna and Patty:

Kenny and Jesse:

Jennifer, Hanna and Jesse:

Me and Jamie:

 

I really like this one of Hanna.  She looks so pretty and so happy.

Here is one of our family minus Jesse.  I wish he was in this picture.  He was napping and we forget to get another one after he woke up.

We all had a really good time visiting together, laughing and playing.  Family is what is most important and it’s times like these that remind me to be so thankful for each member of our family, and how much they all truly mean to me.  My heart is full of gratitude and love.

Jesse-3 Months Old

Jesse is officially 3 months old today. I say it each week, but he is so sweet and gets more precious each day! I love having a baby in our home and can’t get enough of holding him!!

He gets so excited looking at his mobile. I love to watch him while he watches it. I got a video of him this week while he was in Jack’s crib checking out the mobile.

As slack as this sounds, we haven’t even gotten Jesse’s crib. He’s still (barely) fitting into his bassinet. Sadly, he won’t be in it much longer, he’s getting so big.

Here is a picture of me and Jesse that Hanna took. I didn’t realize it until I was editing pictures that we both have on grey, and he looks like he’s blending into me.

I didn’t get too many pictures this week of Jesse and the kids. We have stayed so busy that I just didn’t think about it. We’ve been having lots of fun though.

Here are several more pictures of Jesse from the week.

He’s laying on the Boppy that I had for Hanna, and I love those little fox feet on his sleeper.

This is a classic Jesse expression, when I think of him, I see this look in my mind most.

What do I love about Jesse right now:

• the way he always has his little hands clasped
• how quick he is to smile when I go in to get him up from naps
• the way he coos, smiles and “talks” to me while I am feeding him
• how he lets me snuggle him against my neck as soon as he gets up from sleeping
• how warm he always is, and his sweet baby smell

Here is a picture of my handsome Jack. I can’t get enough of looking at his face either.

Anytime I lay Jesse on the floor or on his playmat Jack is immediately beside him ready to give him kisses and play with him. He is such a sweet big brother. He enjoys taking care of Jesse, helping to feed him and shows him so much affection daily.

It is so much fun watching Jack and Jesse. Even though it is challenging having them so close in age, it is so rewarding and I am so thankful it worked out this way.