Christmas Eve Eve

Growing up, we always celebrated Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family. We would all gather at my grandparents and have a dinner consisting of chili, garlic bread, shrimp and blackberry sundaes for dessert. When Mike first came into the family he mentioned that this was an interesting combination of foods, and when I thought about it I guess it kind of is. But to me chili nothing says Christmas like a nice warm bowel of chili. As more and more cousins have started to get married and have kids, we have decided to move this dinner to the 23rd or on Christmas Eve Eve. Basically, we just get to celebrate Christmas for three days which is fine with me.

Here is Kiwi. She insisted on wearing her "bootiful tismas dress."

And wear it she did. She just looked extra beautiful as she bounced and ran around with all of the other kids. My Aunt Dawn had these coolest little bouncy horse things and Kiwi could not get enough of them.

A highlight of the night was giving Grandma and Grandpa their present. All of us grandchildren (and grandchildren in law) wrote their favorite memories and/or traditions. I had a lot of fun putting the book together and loved reading what everyone wrote. I definitely feel blessed to have been raised in the family that I was (on both my dad and mom's sides).

Here is little Mason with his first Christmas gift (a toy from Great Grandma and Grandpa D.) Big brother and sister were more excited then he was and were more then happy to rip in for him. Although, by the end of Christmas he was actually tearing some paper...and then trying to stuff it in his mouth.

Little Man got this stellar track suit from Lincoln in the cousin gift exchange. When he opened it up, he wanted to put it on right away and even modeled it for the entire family. This little boy of mine is definitely not shy. He loves it because it looks like a track warm up suit and anything that has to do with track or looking like my brothers is automatically cool to him.

Here is a picture of the the little grandchildren and great grandchildren that were there (notice Kiwi is still on that bouncy horse thing hours later, she LOVED it.

We missed everyone who couldn't be there, but I am so grateful that we continue to get together every year and that my kids enjoy playing with all their cousins so much.