Christmas Celebrations

Christmas is such a magical time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  It was so nice to have Nate and Sara here this year to celebrate.  We all went to church together and got pictures beside the huge Christmas tree in the narthex.

Our "perfect" tree! :) 

On Christmas Eve day, we always go to the Hahn's for a brunch and to spend the day.  We had a nice time eating, playing games, talking, going to the Christmas Eve church service, and just being together.

Landon and Emmy were so excited to be asked to be a junior groomsman and bridesmaid in Nate and Sara's wedding!  Emmy said it was her favorite gift of all! :)

Then that evening, the kiddos had to open their new Christmas pjs, get Santa's cookies and milk ready, and say goodbye to their elf, Tricky, for another year.

Emerson picked out bracelets and charms for all of the special ladies in her life and wrapped them up.  She has such a giving heart!  Mine has  a mom charm, palm tree, flip flops, and sunglasses!

Christmas morning, the kids were actually quiet until 7:30 when they insisted we get up so they could open presents!

Emmy got a school set for her American Girl doll and Landon got a Madden '19 NFL video game.

They were also excited about the illustrated books of Harry Potter.  We are reading through them together (currently we are on book 5....which is taking us literally FOREVER to finish...it's long!) but Landon said he wanted to start reading them on his own too.

We went to the Clarks for lunch and got to spend time with my side of the family.

Emerson got a camper for her dolls, which she loves!

The kids enjoyed helping Caleb and Brooklyn open presents too.

Phew!  Well, I think that is all for our December!  It is always such a busy time, but I look forward to spending time with family and friends and watching the kids get so excited.  Especially Emerson!  She always talks for days about how she can't wait for Christmas!  I hope you all enjoyed the holiday as well!

Gingerbread Houses and Friend's Christmas

These gingerbread houses kept the kiddos occupied for a few hours during our first day of Christmas Break.  I was so thankful to have the Friday before Christmas off.  It's a great day to get any last minute things done before the craziness begins.

Last year, we got the kids separate houses and that seemed to work out better!  Much less arguing this way!

Then, that night, we celebrated Christmas with the Davis, Frye, and Faller families.  We had a yummy meal of prime rib and the kids got to decorate cookies for Santa.  This is always such a fun memory!

Another Eaglebots Win, Matt's Birthday, and Christmas Concerts

The Eaglebots did it again!  Got 1st and 2nd place in their second tournament on Dec. 1 with a combined high score in the state!  It is so fun to watch all their hard work pay off.  Congrats!

We also celebrated Matt's 41st birthday!  He is so special to our family so we were happy to celebrate him!

We have been going to Nappanee Missionary Church since August, but the kids REALLY wanted to take part in the Christmas Play at Union Center.  So, for most of October and November they had practices on Wednesday and Saturday.  They both played the part of toy farmers in a toy shop.

The kiddos did a great job and the set was amazing as always!

They didn't have big parts, but they enjoyed being a part of the production.

2 days after the church performance was the school concert.  Emerson had several lines that she had auditioned for.  She did a great job speaking.  This will probably be her area of expertise!  She's a great performer!

After the concert

Oh, Christmas Tree...

Our annual trip to the Christmas Tree Farm was a little different this year.  We were worried we wouldn't have time the first weekend in December so we went a week early on the way home from West Lafayette.  We stopped in a little town called Idaville on the way home.  The place was really cute!  The kids were disappointed that we couldn't see Santa and Landon even asked if we were still going to Eby Pines.  So, I guess we'll go back to the normal place next year.  But it was a fun change.

The kids are always so great with decorating (and undecorating) the tree each year.  They always like to put on their special ornaments and I have gotten much less OCD when it comes to the "perfect" tree.  Ours was a little too short, a little bald in a spot, and ornaments were way too close together.  But it was perfect for us!

The finished product....let the Christmas season begin!

Christmas Eve and Day

Christmas Sunday

The kids got a Lego Advent Calendar (in the back of the next picture) this year.  They spent a lot of time arguing about whose turn it was to assemble the Legos.  Next year we are making a list!  It was fun to see each day, though.  On Christmas Eve, Santa lets our elf, Tricky have extra magic so the kids can play with him.  Then, Santa picks him up in his sleigh.  The kids look forward to this day all year long!

Tricky got into all kinds of trouble from taking candy to teepeeing our Christmas tree.  He made his own gingerbread house and had fun writing notes to the kids.

new Christmas pjs

Santa's plate of goodies

Christmas morning, Emerson was up at 6:30.  Landon slept in a little longer, but by 7:00, they were ready to open stockings and presents.  Emerson asked for Hatchimals and a Fuji Instant Camera.  Landon asked for sports cards and an IPhone.  They each got one thing on their list!

Landon and Emerson always love picking out presents for each other.  They use their own money and usually do a pretty good job picking out gifts.

We had a white Christmas this year so I made the kids go out in the snow for a picture (neither one was very happy; it was pretty cold! ❄)  Right after this, Emerson complained that her head hurt.  I took her temperature and it was 101.  So, she and Matt stayed home while Landon and I went to Christmas at the Clarks.

Our host and hostess

pretty ladies

Caleb did a great job opening his presents up after his nap.

We brought home presents for Emmy and Matt to open.

We had a wonderful Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus.  Glory to God!