On Christmas eve, eve we went to Dan's folks, the kids were SO EXCITED! They got lots of good presents like an Ariel Vanity for Allie and a Swan and Barbie Bath toy that she was obsessed with. Kaylee got a jelly roll to sew, and an MP3 player. They both got GIANT teddy bears from their aunt Sarah. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Dan and I got a food dehydrator and I can't wait to make beef jerky.
On Christmas eve I had my side of the family over. We had ham and potatoes. My mom and Nehemiah came over early so that we could visit a bit. Kaylee had a great time playing with her uncle Nehemiah. The two of them created a scavenger hunt for one of my other brother's (Nate). The kids got spoiled once again with disney pins, Friends legos, Hunger games blanket and Tim Burton items for Kaylee. My mom made everyone bracelets. The girls got another giant stuffed animal as well. We also did stockings. So much stuff..yikes. Nate's friend Emily also came over and brought blankets she made for the girls. I LOVE handmade gifts because it shows that thought and time were put into the gift. My dog cinnamon started to appear very ill and I was worried about her all evening. Next year I really want to go to Christmas eve service at church and make that a new tradition. Too many presents is not a great tradition for raising kids.
On Christmas morning Kaylee woke me up at 6am. I was sick but finally gave in and got up. The girls got spoiled by both Santa and us with mats for gymnastics, pogo sticks, kindle fire hds, a little bit of clothes, a bed tent for Allie and so on. I really must cut down on my kiddo shopping. It's hard when there are so many great deals out there. Dan got me a shower head and fuzzy slippers plus CHOCOLATE. YUMMY.
The last couple of days we have been putting items away, enjoying them and designing an obstacle course down in the basement. One of the reasons I bought the girls so much stuff was so that they had large motor toys to tumble and jump on on cold or rainy days to get some wiggles out. Allie especially. She has so much Energy!!!
I hope everyone else had a great Christmas. I also want to start a tradition of reading the Christmas story at some point on Christmas eve or Christmas morning. We do the nativities, watch movies about it and discuss it but it seems that Christmas has became too much about getting the latest toys and gadgets...when it is Jesus' birthday we are celebrating...and giving,, not getting, which reminds me...
I thought since we were blessed this year we should help out others in need. I heard about a family in need at work and decided we should help them. So a couple of days before Christmas we delivered a bunch of books and other presents for the family. I think that was my favorite part of the season this year.
