Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas was wonderful this year.  Gavin was so into everything, and having our sweet Riley here with us this year just made everything that much better.  It started bright and early with our morning wake up call from Gavin.  He and Daddy headed out for their Christmas Eve donut date and brought me home some yummy donuts.  We spent the morning getting some chores around the house done and baths taken care of, and then Gavin and I (with Riley watching) made a batch of cookies for Santa!

After naps, we made a wonderful dinner - Jarrod grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignon {AMAZING!}, we tried a new stuffing recipe {eh...not my fave}, and we roasted cauliflower {delicious!}  Then we Skyped with our families back home and let Gavin open a few more gifts that they had sent here.  Gavin got a new soccer goal from my family and a new wall clock for his room from Memaw.  I also was able to 'give' my parents a really belated 50th birthday present while we were skyping.  When we were home for Thanksgiving, I had us take a family picture and told them they didn't turn out, but really I had it enlarged for them and turned into a 16x20 canvas.  I felt bad that I didn't get them much of anything for such a big birthday, so this was my way of making it up to them.  Thanks, Megan, for picking it up for me!

After we Skyped, it was time for our family photo.  This is a tradition I started during Gavin's second Christmas, when we were in NY and away from our family for the first time at the holidays.  I decided that on Christmas Eve, before we opened presents, I'd set the self-timer and get a family photo of us in front of the tree.  Most of the time it takes several shots, and this one isn't even my most favorite (Gavin looks a little out of focus to me), but it was the best of the 20 that we took! 

 

Then it was time for the kids to open presents from Jarrod and me.  When Gavin was a baby, I read a poem online and it's stuck with me ever since.  They get 'something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.'  It makes to easy to pick out what we want to give them and what we let Santa bring.

Kisses for Sister after opening the gift she picked out for him - Angry Bird Magnets!

 

 

The 'something to wear' gift is always going to be pajamas.  I originally wanted them to be Christmas pajamas, but Gavin saw some Muppet pajamas that he really wanted, so I decided to get them for him and found Riley some coordinating ones.  His are Kermit the Frog, and hers have Miss Piggy and Kermit on them.  

After the kids were asleep, Santa's elves were really busy making cinnamon rolls for the next morning and all the other important things we had to do before bed....wink, wink!  It was a long, tiring day, but was filled with wonderful memories.