Christmas Day 2104

What a relaxing Christmas day.  We stayed in our PJ's all day and played with all things new.  The kids got an X Box, Jeremy got a meat smoker, and I got a Roomba!  But most of all we had each other and spent lots of time snuggling.  Even Jeremy and Gulliver!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is always special.  Mom and Jeff came over early for our traditional appetizer feast and then we were excited to be able to go to our Ward's first ever Christmas Eve music service.  I was honored to be part of the program, singing "In the Bleak Midwinter" as part of a quartet.  I love the spiritual mood that this put us all in for Christmas Eve.  Seeing as Christmas day is usually about gifts, I liked having a more solemn Christmas Eve as we were able to reflect on Christ's birth.  We got our new Christmas PJ's and read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas and then put the little ones to bed to the magic could happen!

Happenings...

Just a few fun things to write about...  Jeremy took the kids and fergus one Saturday I worked to a walk for blindness.  They came home with all sorts of fun freebies!  We attended a Christmas Sing-Along at Wolftrap with Becky, Megan and Casey!  It was so fun to sing along with the Marine band they had playing!  A new tradition!  We also visited the Temple to see the lights and to watch some members of our ward perform.  And Gavin got his braces!  Only on the top 4 teeth but still totally awesome!  He is on his way to straight teeth and picked red bands for this first time.  His enthusiasm waned once they were actually on his teeth, but we are rallying!  It is worth it in the end buddy.  We also had a family Christmas celebration in Richmond with the Mudds.  We went to this really cool light show they have set to music, surely a highlight!  And Cameron had a birthday!  And no school either!  He and I had some special time to assemble one of his lego sets he got and we went to none other than 5 Guys for dinner.  12 is a big one, kiddo!

Great Wolf with the Caldwells!

Anyone who knows us knows we love Great Wolf Lodge.  So when we learned that our good friends, the Caldwells love it too, we had to plan a trip.  We were rebels and pulled the kids out of school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday!  Having friends with us always makes for good fun and we did it all.  The waterpark kept us all moving and swapping groups to go on the big slides.  we did Magicquest for the first time which the boys fell in love with, and we also did the arcade and 4-D show, and bowling!  We went to go see Santa again at the Yankee Candle store and we played board games like crazy!  We definitely cemented some friendships and made loads of memories.

Thanksgiving

With Becky back home, this Thanksgiving was anticipated more than in years past.  We wish Lisa and her family could've come up too this year so all the cousins could be together, but we made the best of what we had!  As always, it was a real feast and we kept the tradition of playing characters which was a nod to Granny.  I feel so lucky to have so much family close by and so thankful that my kids have great cousins to grow up with!

Family Pics 2014

We are thankful to the Caldwells for taking some great family pictures for us for a Christmas card this year!  It is so NICE to have kids that will willingly smile for the camera for a change!  I guess our boys are growing up!