Christmas 2016.
These cute little elves did A LOT to help prepare for our Christmas celebration.
We decorated.
Cooked.
Cleaned.
Kept a little puppy out of the presents.
And then counted down the days...until all our family arrived.
This year, my parents took a rode trip across the States and ended up at our house just in time for Christmas Eve!
We LOVED having them here with us to celebrate!!!
After the candlelight Christmas Eve service at church...it was home for TACOS!
And waiting for my cousins arrive!!
These two definitely bring the silly and the fun with them wherever they go!!
The kids were allowed to open one present and then it was off to bed...to wait for the big DAY!!
Christmas Day usually starts pretty early with ...
elves and snuggles in pj's...
opening gifts...
and more gifts!
We have had a very mild winter...so that afternoon found as at the park enjoying the weather...
and trying out all of our new presents!
The "big" gift for everyone this year was a new Xbox.
The boys had been asking for quite awhile.
Little did we know that it would bring out the best "moves" in all of us!!
Just Dance was the highlight of Christmas day!!
The girls asked if they could have a Christmas party for some of their friends.
So Jason came up with some fun games for them to play...and we came up with some Christmas crafts...and then loaded up on some yummy goodies.
The house was full to the brim with giggling girls ready to have fun!
Even though it looked like chaos...Jason had the games under control.
Then it was time to...
frost sugar cookies (and maybe eat one or two).
The crafters made cute little snowmen and Santa jars...
with LOTS of glitter! (my favorite)
Thankfully it was a gorgeous day...so the girls ate their treats outside..
and spent the afternoon burning off all that sugar!
Amy and Hailey's first Christmas Creations party was a success.
They had a fabulous time with their friends...and the house was sufficiently covered in glitter for the rest of the month!
Sparkly Christmas!
We continued our tradition this year with our fifth anual afternoon of gingerbread houses and pizza!!
The Ballantyne Hotel (a very ritzy hotel in our area) hosts the Gingerbread Lane.
A beautiful display of gingerbread structures set out for the public to vote on.
Each of the kids vote on their favorite...
from sports stadiums...
to traditional houses...
and even a GingerBucks!!
Of course, it's always more fun with friends...
especially ones that are willing to cut loose and just be silly!
Our traditional picture by the Ballantyne Christmas tree!!!
And then we're off to pizza!
This little guy was celebrating his birthday on our little outing!
And I couldn't help but get a birthday snuggle from this cutie!!
Another Christmas tradition is in the books!
We are so very thankful for our friends that help to make each of these traditions so special!
I love Christmas time.
The lights...the tree...the homemade ornaments...the glittery bows...
AND
the smell of cookies.
There are certain cookies and treats that only get made at Christmas...
so when the oven is on and those amazingly scents waft through the kitchen...
memories of Christmas' past come flooding back.
And for Jason...Christmas means WHITE COOKIES (as he calls them).
They are his favorite...and he reminds me each day past December 1 that it is TIME to make the cookies.
So it shouldn't have been any surprise when I came out to the kitchen to find...
my Christmas present!!!
I have wanted a KitchenAid mixer for a LONG time but could never quite seem to justify the expense.
Well, with white cookies waiting to be mixed...Jason thought this would be the PERFECT present!!
Of course, he was right!
From white cookies...to pepper nuts...home made bread...
and now sugar cookies, we've already broken this ruby red beauty in!!!
It has proven up to the task...and is humming along...
helping us mix up many more Christmas memories!!!
We joined our friends, the Dorminys, for a fun day of decorating gingerbread houses.
They boys teamed up against the girls and the competition for sugary splendor began!
Truth be told, we were hoping to pass off the day as educational in some way...
and I do believe these kids learned quite a bit.
1. Gingerbread houses are best built with hot glue guns (not frosting).
2. It is better to make a plan rather than just dumping out all of the supplies and hoping it'll magically come together.
3. Siblings make the best elves.
4. Teamwork is essential for success.
5. Sometimes you might need an adult to keep your creation from collapsing!
6. Fingers are the best paintbrushes.
7. And failure or success...always have fun!!
These are the "completed" houses.
Not quite gingerbread grandeur....but fun nonetheless!!
Packing up shoe boxes for children spread out across the world is one of our favorite Christmas traditions. Getting to pick out toys and goodies...filling those boxes as full as we possibly can is a challenge that each of the kids enjoy.
But this year, Tyler was finally old enough to volunteer at the Samaritan's Purse warehouse.
His friend, Corban came with us for the day to get some packin' on!
The warehouse volunteers sort through each box and checks to make sure it is packed properly and that each child is getting as MUCH as they possibly can.
Once each box is carefully inspected, they are put into larger boxes and prepped for shipping.
It was pretty incredible to know exactly where our boxes were going...and to get a chance to prayerfully handle each one.
All the while there is a healthy competition between each of the stations to see who can pack the most.
I'm happy to say..that ours was ROCKIN!!
I did have to keep a close eye on these two.
If left to their own devices they probably would have played with each box rather than inspect.
But once they got into a rhythm these guys did awesome!
It was very humbling to be a very small part of something so BIG...the body of Christ working together to show the love of Jesus to so so many.
It was a great way to start off the Christmas season!
As soon as Thanksgiving is nicely tucked away...it's time for all things CHRISTMAS!!!
Some friends invited us to the Mint Hill tree lighting at the Town Hall.
With hot cocoa, fresh cookies, Santa and friends...
it was the perfect way to kick off our Christmas festivities!
The Chick-Fil-A cows made an appearance...
and passed out plenty of gift cards to all the kiddos!
And then we counted down until the tree lit up!!
These two just needed to find a primo spot to enjoy their cookies and cocoa without interruption!
Then it was off to wait in line to see Santa.
Hailey informed us that this was her FIRST time getting to meet Santa.
(She also let us know that she does NOT believe in Santa...but she still wanted to see him! :)
It was a fun, magical night with friends!
