Our Families Christmas Eve/Day!!!

 

This is actually on Christmas Eve.  It snowed all day long.  Kara was so excited that she had to go outside in it! 

On Christmas Eve day Colton, Spencer and Matt had to work. Christmas eve day Coby was recovering from some kind of bug he had.  Poor guy, he is a really good patient though. :)   After everyone got home we ate dinner.    We had Cafe Rio night.  Everyone's favorite.  After dinner we all gathered to unveil the movie I had gotten at the library. I always try to surprise them!  I always get a Christian/Christmas movie, but sometimes the acting isn't always good.  This year, everyone LOVED the movie. It was a winner.   We got Christmas Orange.  It was a beautiful story President Monson told that they made into a move. I highly recommend it!  LOVED IT!!!!

We didn't open our traditional PJ's since last year almost everyone expressed they didn't love it.  This year I just got some for Kara, who loved the tradition, but then many said they wish they had gotten PJ's.  I guess you can't win.  :)

 This last summer Grandma Sheryl gave Kara my mom's nativity.  Kara got it out, and we all were quiet.  It brought me to tears and I remembered great memories around the nativity, my mom had made. Spencer was tired as he leaves for work each morning, at 6am.  And then in the corner of the picture above, are all of the vitamins I was trying to get Coby to take to help him get better!  I was afraid he would get bronchitis.

Growing up, one of my families traditions was to  put hay under baby Jesus head when we did a kind act for anyone. We loved to see how soft we could make his bed.  It was such a fun tradition, that helped us all feel the spirit of Christ and to just try to be a little kinder.  Our family is doing this tradition during the month of January.  

 On Christmas morning, when I came downstairs this is how I found my children.  Kara was playing beautiful Christmas music; I love it!

 What it looked like outside when we woke up. Very cold, but sunny.   And a picture of Colton and Coby's car!

Before we open presents I love to get a picture of everyone.  Spencer is holding Gracie, but it is hard to tell.

Fozzie just won't look up for the camera.

After we took pictures, Matt read about the birth of Christ.  I love this tradition.

The kids each opened their presents.  Christmas was a little small this year, but they were all very grateful!!!  I think it is smaller when you have older kids, because everything they want is so much more expensive and seems to be small.

After presents, we had our traditional Christmas breakfast, yummy breakfast casseroles with cinnamon rolls.

 For a couple of hours the kids were all on  their  new gadgets, before we got together again.

We played several games together.  It was FUN!!! 

After the games we ate our traditional dinner, which was yummy.  We had my mom's famous punch, that everyone loves,  funeral potatoes, homemade rolls,  green bean casserole, green salad, and yummy meat and gravy.  I added cream to several of the items, so it even tasted more yummy! :)

After dinner we went to a matinee showing of  Les Miserables.  Whoever did the 12 days of Christmas for our family, gave us a very generous gift card to the movie theaters.  They were so sweet. Thank you, thank you!

After we got home from the movies, it was getting late.  Everyone had to work the next day, except for Kara and I.   I love Christmas.  I love celebrating the birth of Christ and being with people I LOVE!!!!