The dad's got the comfy seats during BINGO :)
Will didn't like BINGO.
Then the kids exchanged presents.
A few of the older cousins. They are all best friends and have been for years. There is something extra special about being cousins and growing up together. It creates such a strong bond.
Will got his favorite gift of the year - dinosaurs. He hasn't put them down for days. He's trying to give cousin Easton a thank you kiss.
Then we acted out the nativity. My mom put together a great program and brought all the kids costumes. It was slick and the kids had a great time. Morgan was an angel and Miles was Joseph.
The entire cast... donkey and all...
My mom leading the songs. We are the most tone-deaf group of people you've ever heard, but somehow it sounds beautiful!
Meg was a little insulted she wasn't asked to play baby Jesus.
Next came Christmas Eve. This is the big family celebration where everyone comes and we celebrate a Danish Christmas. All my sibling and their families were there - there where 51 of us crammed inside my moms house!!! In Denmark (where my mom was born and raised until she was 8) the kids put their shoes under the bed and while they eat dinner the Julenisse (the Danish version of Santa) leaves gifts in their shoe. Here are the kids after dinner lining up at Grandma's bedroom door to see if the Julenisse came.
Sure enough, each child's shoe had a gift! This was my favorite part of Christmas growing up and I love seeing my kids experience the same thing.
Snow cones and bow and arrows...
The Julenisse even remembered Meg.
So many people we had to come in shifts :)
Then we went home to get ready for the real Santa to come. We started out with our traditional Christmas Eve jammies. The kids requested footed sleepers this year.
Miles excited about his footies. They make it fun to slide across the kitchen floor.
Putting out cookies for Santa.
Christmas morning!!
This year Morgan and Miles made Mike and I gifts at school. Miles made us a calendar and took these pictures of us opening it. They both made ornaments for the tree too!! Super cute.
This year the older kids got a DS. They've wanted some kind of video game thing for a couple years now and we finally caved.
Meg's first Christmas!!
Then we spent all of Christmas day playing with toys.
Mike setting up my Christmas present. A new iMac. I still am trying to figure out how to use this thing, but so far I'm loving it!
Will got a tent from Santa.
Morgan got a real porcelain tea set. She feels so grown up :)
We also made our traditional pull-a-parts for Christmas breakfast. YUM! It makes me think of Mike's mom - she taught me how to make these. We really missed seeing Mike's family on Christmas. We've spent the past decade having Christmas with them in Ohio and we definitely felt the void of having them so far away.
Here's Will eating his third helping. Just our little group ate this huge plate of pull-a-parts. This was all that was left after breakfast (but it was gone before dinner :) Our favorite.
I love this time of year. This year as our family has grown, I've felt especially blessed to have such wonderful children and an amazing husband who works so hard to provide for all of us. I don't think he'll ever fully know how much it means to me to stay home with our kids - and it's all because of his willingness to work hard and provide for us. I also feel so blessed because of the knowledge I have of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for this time of year to celebrate His birth and more importantly the life He lived. And because of Him, if I am willing to do my part, I can return with my family to our Heavenly Father someday. That is the greatest gift I have and will ever receive.
Merry Christmas!
