{Alternately titled: the one with 46 photographs and ALL the parentheses}
On Christmas Eve, our elf was tucked under the Christmas tree with a few brightly wrapped packages and a letter to the girls. We read the note {a quick one about the real reason for the season and the big news that they could touch him briefly before bedtime} that morning, but decided to save the gifts for later in the afternoon. We celebrated with Josh’s parents for lunch {and I managed to take exactly zero photographs because we were playing so hard}, but were home by 2 o’clock with a few hours to burn. We played Operation at the dining room table and I let the girls open the gifts from Scout. What transpired afterwards caused me to have a major meltdown {complete with mommy tears and stomping feet}. Can you say Merry Christmas? He always brings holiday pajamas on Christmas Eve and I couldn’t wait to see them all dolled up. Ella was ticked because I said she had to wear them to communion {she didn’t understand that it wasn’t a typical church service – it was come and go, so no one would see her} and Sophie just really liked the minnie mouse ones she was already sporting. I may or may not have told them they ruined my Christmas, which just made Ella cry some more. Mom of the year right here.
Thankfully, communion went off without a hitch and none of the families I offered the girls to took me up on that offer. Instead we headed home to get some elf snuggles in before bedtime. My girls were so enthralled with the touching that I had tons of photos like this. Seriously, this is like one fifth of the total number.
We also met up with our sweet neighbors for some reindeer food making {she bought the oatmeal and we brought the magic!}. This was the best photo we could manage {they were much happier sprinkling fake food in the yard than they were posing for pictures in front of my tree}.
Afterwards, Ella helped me in the kitchen and we got lots of food prepped for the next day. In other news, my oven wouldn’t light so I was having a panic attack about how to cook breakfast the following morning. As luck would have it, Amanda {my neighbor} ran out of scotch tape at 10:30, so I supplied the wrapping supplies and she let me bake breakfast in her oven ahead of time. Win/win.
Not only did Ella help me make one thousand dishes, but she decided she would bake a pie from scratch. I rolled out the pie crust for her and supplied a recipe card, but she did everything else herself. She chopped the walnuts in our nut mill and even cracked the eggs. We couldn’t bake it, thanks to our oven, but it kept fine in the fridge until we got to Gran’s the next day.
Can you believe this was the stash of Christmas candy in our kitchen BEFORE Santa came to town? After school parties and dance parties and neighborhood treat drop-offs, we were rolling in chocolate. I guess it’s a good thing Santa doesn’t bring but a few pieces to our house on the big day.
Before bedtime on Christmas Eve, my parents always drop by for a goodnight hug and kiss. It doesn’t matter that we’ve just seen them at communion or will see them again for lunch the next day. My mom likes to read the Christmas story and my dad’s childhood copy of The Night Before Christmas to her grandkids. Brother-cousin’s house was next on the list.
We took a quick photo in front of the tree before sending them on their way. We were moments away from the annual A Christmas Story viewing and that is always one of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions. Sophie was asleep less than an hour into the movie and Ella was yawning her way through the last few minutes.
Earlier in the evening, we gave B her Christmas gift and were thrilled to see it was a big hit. She laid right here in the floor for the entire movie and pretty much nothing is cuter to me that a dog in front of a Christmas tree. Sigh.
Sophie missed out on the preparing of the cookies and milk {thankfully, she never even mentioned it the next day}, but did get to contribute to the letter writing portion of the evening. We left Scout next to Santa’s mail and a plate full of cookies and milk for them to enjoy.
I try so hard to be thoughtful about what the girls get for Christmas and not to go overboard. They don’t really need anything, so I try to convince them to think of one thing they really, really want for Christmas each year. You know that feeling you get after Santa comes? When you know you got that perfect gift and someone is going to be so giddy that next morning? I love that. The moment my head hits the pillow and Josh & I get to giggle about how amazing it is to be parents is my single favorite moment of Christmas EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. Being a kid on Christmas was pretty awesome, but being a parent is ridiculously cool. I cried when I saw the pink guitar the first time. Seriously, cried tears that rolled down my face. It is so shiny and beautiful and I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
Ella’s requests this year were for a guitar, grey TOMS and hot huez.
Sophie asked for a pink bicycle and gold sparkly TOMS.
She likes to tell stories about princesses and castles and the prince. There is almost always a villain and it’s usually either a troll or a fire-breathing dragon. Santa could not resist this lovey and book about a fire-breathing dragon {$10 at IKEA, thankyouverymuch} and it made me so happy seeing it sitting out with all of her loot.
When I woke up on Christmas morning, I found Taz in the playroom asleep. Who knows when she relocated, but the girls later confessed to peeking at their gifts. The followed the rules — no leaving the playroom — so they could only see that Santa had come and brought bicycles. Everything else was a surprise.
I love their sweet, excited faces before we let them start ripping through the presents.
{Ella loved the fuzzy, pink guitar strap and she’s been begging for a lace dress for months}
{tazzie inspecting her gold sparkly TOMS}
{three cheers for Ariel, even though we found our original copy after I bought this one}
{somebody was happy about their hot huez and taz couldn’t wait to try out her bike}
{can we talk about how taz looks like Cindy Lou Who in this photo?!}
{my favorite scene on Christmas morning is the disastrous living room floor}
{santa wrote us a quick note on the back of the envelope and devoured our cookies}
We let the girls play for most of the morning and had a few visitors drop by to see them. My grandparents brought us all a little something and Sophie was thrilled to get these Minnie & Mickey lovies. She has slept with them every night since and was so excited that they had on gold shoes like her! I set the tripod up in the living room {much to my family’s dismay} and after about 1000 outtakes, we managed to get a half-decent family photo. Somehow these were the only pictures Josh and I managed to be in on Christmas morning. I’m usually so good about taking at least a few, but we were having so much fun, that I didn’t realize it until a few days later. Oh well. I know we were there.
We finally got all dolled up and drove to my parents’ to spend the afternoon. I know that a lot of families don’t like to travel on the big day and opt to stay home, but I honestly don’t know what we would do with ourselves?! Spending the day with my extended family is always so much fun and being in my parents house is just as comfy as our own.
I didn’t snap many photos once we were there. I was too busy stuffing my face and catching up with all of my favorite people. We took some family photos in the front yard, warmed our hands in front of the fire and I even caught our sweet daddy taking a nap in the floor of my childhood bedroom. We had such a wonderful day celebrating with our favorite people and there wasn’t a single complaint when we all crawled into bed late that night. We had nothing but pajamas and Disney princess movies on the horizon!
