Christmas

Christmas Eve: 

-We all met at Target that morning and drew names and then were given money to buy stocking stuffers for whoever we drew. 

-Then we grabbed lunch and had a picnic at the park and then did an obstacle course competition. The boys came up with the course using the park toys (and while crawling over children who were playing) and we all went and got timed and the winners got cash prizes.  

-Did some last minute shopping during nap time. 

-Grandma had some little ornament crafts that Caitlin loved working on every day.

-Had delicious brisket dinner, acted out and told the nativity story then had a family talent show. Caitlin sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and then ended up singing about 5 more songs because she loved it so much. Nolan said "HoHoHo" for Santa. All the kids had such cute little talents. Before we put them to bed Grandma shared her talent which was 7 big wrapped boxed for each grandkid. Inside were beautifully made quilts, each one different and individually made for each child. Such a wonderful gift! My kids love their blankies.

-After the kids went to sleep we continued with the adult round of talents including: harmonica playing, singing and playing the piano, pushups, telling jokes, knot tieing and baking. And the grand finale: a dance performance by all the girls to the "Jingle Bell Rock" dance from the Mean Girls Movie. It was so classic.  

Christmas morning: 

We celebrated from 8:30-2:00 After seeing what Santa brought, the kids all took a turn at the beginning and opened a few presents. Then the adults took turns. Then back to the kids for a few minutes. At one point Caitlin brought out her colors and took a little break to color under the tree. She got lots of new dress up clothes and literally stripped down and put a new one one every time she opened one. Nolan got lots of cars and fun toys but wasn't super into actually unwrapping the presents. He was obsessed with the "furreal" cats that a couple of the girls got. After everything, all the presents were opened and I know we felt very blessed. We spent the rest of the day eating and playing with gifts.