Christmas Eve

We really truly love Christmas Eve in this house as much as we love Christmas!  We love singing Christmas songs around the piano, baking cookies and listening to the Christmas story.  I think this year the kids understood the difference between what was important about Christmas and what was fun about it.  This year we put a little cradle with a dolly in it under the tree for the month of December and "filled" it with straw- or brown paper bag pieces cut to look like straw by doing service.  We will do this again next year because I could see them thinking about service with this cradle reminder right in front of them every day.  We went to our favorite "Christmas Museum" for a scavenger hunt and tidied our house up so we could enjoy the mess Christmas Day brought.  Mike and I went out for a bit for a last minute toy (Andrew got his very own Scout dog which he has been asking for for a year since Scotty got his last year.  We finally decided it was worth the $20 to see him smile about it- and he really hasn't put it down much since Christmas- I'm glad we got it for him).  We feasted on our traditional Christmas Eve pizza and went out in the car to see Christmas lights.  We found some AMAZING displays- including one that would put Clark Griswold to shame.  Truly- they must have had a million lights. The magic of Christmas is alive and well in this house and we all just love it!

What a typical "go stand together so I can take your picture" set up looks like

That will do.  

Scott loved to watch the train go back and forth back and forth.  

He was pointing at everything that moved.  He thought this place was just magical.

Still watching the train.

The kids got their scavenger hunt sheets and then were all business looking for the things on their lists.

Love this Nutcrackers!  

It's Rudolph!

More pointing and being impressed by everything!

Scott didn't want to be in this picture....and it makes me laugh.

Emma took over picture taking and we have about 100 pictures of the things in the display.  

Merry Christmas!

She was trying to look like she was caroling.  Pretty funny.

Baking Christmas cookies.  VERY important job!  Aunt Hill decorated them with the kids while we ran out and they had tons of fun!  I wish I had a picture of the three of them decorating!

The stockings were hung.....

And we did some Christmas Eve cartwheels.

Nope, it's not flattering- but I did do Christmas Eve cartwheels- so here is the proof.  We all laughed and had a great time.  

We set out our cookies- and carrots!

Now to get these excited little beans in bed!

But not before we have a Greenstreet sandwhich with Aunt Hill in the middle- I had to break away to take a picture of the madness!