Christmas 2014~ Part 2

After our Christmas Eve breakfast wrapped up and we sat around talking til about lunch time, we headed home for naptime. Thankfully Austin and Layton both got in a short nap while Garrison had his "rest time" and mama and daddy enjoyed a quiet break from the busyness too. It was nice to be able to relax for just a little bit.

As soon as the boys were up from their naps we went over to my parents house to let the boys snack on their homemade cookies and watch a little Christmas movie and see all the presents. My parents go all out BIG at Christmas so we knew we wanted to have some time at their house on Christmas Eve... if for no other reason but to build anticipation and excitement. =)

For dinner we went over to my sister's house to enjoy our traditional Christmas Eve supper of chili, hotdogs, and a baked potato bar. Yum! Our family, my parents, and all of my grandparents were able to be there. We had a really fun and festive night.

Our hosts... AnAn and Frankie! (This picture was taken earlier that morning at my in-laws' Christmas Eve breakfast. Ha. Next year I must get a picture of these 2 in their own home. =))

 

Granna and Papa with the boys at AnAn's and Frankie's...

After supper another tradition continued... the boys all opened their Christmas pj's! They were adorable! And they all changed into them right there on the spot so they were all ready for bed as soon as we got home.

Before bedtime my big boys said a special prayer thanking God for sending Jesus. So sweet! Those sincere little prayers of thanksgiving for the newborn King and Savior of the world were precious. Melt my heart. The tears almost flowed something serious.

Finally the big boys settled down and went to sleep... and Santa came!!

(It should be noted that Santa had a tough time of it assembling hotwheels race tracks and searching for batteries in the middle of the night and staying awake... but he came... eventually... whew.)

Christmas morning in our own home (sort of... since we're still in the rental house) sure was special. It wasn't as big and loud and exciting as years past but the boys were amazed and excited and thrilled anyway. Triple yay!!

After our Christmas morning fun we got the boys ready (Terrell and I were already ready since we had another Christmas morning to experience!) and headed over to my parents' house to do Christmas and presents with them and Anna and Frankie. This was our first year ever to do it this way. In the past we'd always woken up at their house and done Santa Claus and the whole shebang there. So this year we had to carve out a time for our Christmas with them, and I think it worked out great. We may not always do it on Christmas morning in the future, but this year it was our best option and a big, fun, we were all totally spoiled addition to our morning. =)

We snacked on breakfast finger foods and opened lots and lots of presents. A super fun morning!

After finishing up at my parents' house, we made our way over to my Nanny's for lunch with my dad's side of the family. (We literally ate pretty much non-stop all day long. Haha.) We enjoyed seeing everybody and hanging out together just like we have every single Christmas Day of my entire life. =) I didn't get a single picture... but my uncle got a couple of my kiddos and sent them to me...

After leaving my Nanny's we went home and rested for an hour or 2 before going back to my parents' for a Christmas dinner with my mom's side of the family. Whew! We enjoyed another huge and delicious feast with everyone and wrapped up our Christmas Day by opening stockings at their house. The perfect ending to a very fun and very FULL day. Then we got the boys back in pj's before heading home and crashing. Everybody was worn out!

 

Christmas 2014 was filled to the brim with blessings. We may have been crazy busy and so exhausted we couldn't see straight, but our special traditions and time with family are priceless gifts we treasure. So thankful for our wild and crazy Christmas!