Christmas Eve to New Years

We have our annual Christmas Eve traditions, and we have to do ALL of them or the kids will be so upset. I love how nostalgic they all are! First up, the kids are allowed to touch and play with the elves. Brooks and Ellis don’t even believe anymore, but they still get excited about this!

Next we listen to Christmas music and decorate cookies for Santa…

The kids stole my phone and took these selfies in the car on the way to church, lol

We always go to the late afternoon candlelight service!

Only a couple more years of being a nervous wreck and worrying that the kids will set their hair or the church on fire.

After church we played a bunch of board games. I bought this new Bible game, and it was actually a hit!

Penny drop!

Double Ditto!

We always let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve. This year we let them open the gifts they got each other, and I think we’ll keep that tradition!

Family picture time in our matching PJ’s!

We always end our Christmas Eve with pizza and a movie. Ellis was so cute and wanted to set it all up for us!

Set the milk and cookies out for Santa, read the “Night Before Christmas”, and tucked all 3 kids into Brooks’ room for the night!

Then Santa and Mrs. Clause got busy setting out all the gifts for the kids!

Kids were up bright and early and ready to see what Santa brought them!

The walk down the stairs on Christmas morning is always the best!

Now it’s time to open the less exciting presents from Mommy and Daddy…

Favorite gifts!

I will never take this beautiful sight for granted!

Ellis always makes or buys gifts for Adam and I. I love her giving heart!

Oh my heart!

She crocheted me this teddy bear!

That post Christmas morning nap when the excitement wears off is always so good!

Time to show off all of our presents to our besties!

Love my new Ugg slippers Adam got for me!

Ms. Nancy took the girls on a golf cart ride to Circle K for some treats and then we went to the Plums for a yummy Christmas dinner! I always forget to take pics and then I always kick myself for forgetting. I hate that we don’t get to be with extended family on Christmas, but thankful we have friends that are like family!

The day after Christmas we drove to Houston to celebrate Christmas with the Hundl’s!

I love that Brooks is willing to try more foods here lately!

You can never tell if he likes what he’s eating, lol…

Present time!

Pretty girls!

Middle Bigs!

Littles!

Bigs!

Bros!

The best kind of chaos!

Matching Grinch PJ’s for these cuties!

Thanking Memaw for their gifts!

Time to give Memaw and Papa Joe their gift!

Hopefully they actually use these and don’t let them go to waste!

Love my Seesters!

Game Time! Family Feud: Boys vs. Girls

Darn Boys won, but I think they cheated, lol

Farm animal noises game was a hoot!

Post Family Christmas naps after a few adult beverages are also soooo good!

Kids hung out outside while the adults played games, and I absolutely love that!

Wiffle Ball under the Christmas lights!

Across the street neighbors really go all out!

My parents always do a great job with their lights too! I definitely got the holiday decorating gene from my dad!

Time for Christmas with the Dimmick’s now! I absolutely LOOOOOVVVEEE that we had Italian with my side and Pappadeaux with Adam’s side! It seriously does not get any better than that!

We started this new tradition of doing a fun themed white elephant gift exchange. The theme this year was things that start with the letter “D”

Aunt Lesly tricked us with her clever wrapping of the “D”ustpan with the “D”ick’s giftcard!

When I asked Brooks what he wanted to get for the gift exchange the very first thing that popped into his head was, “Dee’s Nuts”. It cracked me up, and he was like “no, I’m serious. They sell them on Amazon!!” Of course I had to buy them and I’m so glad Christian was the one that opened them, lol