Christmas Eve

Twas the night before....and we LOVE this day.  

Advent books, of course they were Twas the Night Before Christmas ( I collect them)

Then to the calendar.  Every Christmas Eve they get to go on a hunt for baby Jesus around the house.  I positioned myself at the end and had Brian run around the house documenting. Clue #1: Where do our guest lay their heads? THE GUEST ROOM!

Clue #2: Find Mommy and Daddy's wedding picture ornament on the tree- LETS GO! ( look at Mara in motion to get a head start)

There it is, There it is!!!! Clue #3: I love Barbies!  TO THE BARBIE CABINET!!!

There they are!

We love our nativities. The kids got to put them under their trees in their bedroom!

Then to the tree for gifts.  On Christmas Eve, we each get new jammies.  Brian got Bears

I got Christmas trees

The kids got super cute jammies too but they also get an ornament that reflects them from this past year....Ballerina and Karate guy for sure!

After baths and some primping, we got ready to go to Grammy & Papa's ( it was my first trip OUT in public)

We sprinkled some reindeer food on the lawn and headed to Champaign.

Veronica and Amara LOVED to dress up in Grammy's furs ( Amara got to use Grammy's muff from when she was a little girl but V enjoyed having it again too)

Grammy played a little piano with the big kids

and then family pictures!

The stockings were hung....( look at all of them)

Grammy & Papa love these 4 more than anything in the world!

We love getting to be together with The Bechtels

And then the highlight of the every Christmas Eve....a reading of Twas The Night Before Christmas.  The kids pile on the loveseat and Grammy and Papa start reading.

And almost always Dan and I ( and sometimes Brian and Jen too) must out into creative interpretation and acting of the story.  Dan and I worked pretty well together, even with me seated!

We did stockings and cookies and hot cocoa too and then headed to church.

After church on our way back home, we drove through Urbana to Candlestick Lane and enjoyed the lights (we were able to show the kids our first house which is right off of candle stick lane)

And when the children were all snug in their beds....Santa arrived and filled the stockings

( those gifts to the right are for 10 people day after Christmas, not for our Christmas morning, I promise....keep reading)

Merry Christmas everyone!