The Christmas I was pregnant with Talia (which was 4 years ago, but 5 actual Christmas Holiday's) was our last extended family Christmas Eve party at my mom's. It was large and chaotic, with almost 40 of us packed into my Mom's house, all the new little kids running around...it was fun, and I miss it, but all families grow and change, that's life.
The next Christmas, we were just our little extended family. My parents, my brother and his kids, my little family, and my sister (who hadn't met her soul mate yet). We talked about what we would do in the future for Christmas Eve, and it was decided we would all take a turn, alternating in a 4 year cycle. My mom went first, I went next, then my brother Chris and his wife Brenda, and finally my sister Heidi (who was sure by the time her turn came around, she would have found her eternal companion). This was the 4th Christmas Eve in our "cycle", and sure enough, Heidi had found her Adam AND started her little family with our sweet Logan. They still live in a tiny apartment, however, so Chris and Brenda were happy to lend their house to our Christmas Eve celebration this year, although Heidi was in charge.
We had our usual yummy dinner of Ham, Cheese potatoes, Rolls, etc....
Hunter particularly enjoyed the jam on his roll...
Heidi and Adam and the kids...
Heidi and Adam decided we would play "Minute to Win It" games...I must admit, I was really skeptical, but they turned out to be really fun!
"Jumping Jingle Bells" (you have to get all the bells out of your box in a minute or less)
"Ornament conveyor belt" (You and a partner are the ends of the conveyor belt, you have to turn together to get a Christmas ornament from one side to the other, where your third team member takes it off and hangs it up...in a minute or less!)
(Kyle, my dad and I were on a team...we didn't do to badly...)
But Cole and Brenda kicked butt at this particular game!
The next game was to get an Oreo from your forehead to your mouth with no hands...Kyle was so fast (4 seconds!) that we didn't even get a picture! I was doing pretty good...
I had it almost to my mouth, but I was laughing so hard that I dropped it as I got it in my mouth...Oh well, thanks to Kyle, we won that round!
Mom, Alec, and Heid try...
Cole, Brenda, and Gracie's turn...
Oreo, YUM!
Me and my sweetheart...
We asked the kids to perform for us...
Gracie, Talia and Hunter
Parker performs...
Alec
Parker and Gracie
As is tradition, Santa knocked and left a sack of presents on the doorstep for everyone...How exciting!
Talia and Gracie got My Little Pony playsets (and I must say, I LOVE all the little girls toys these days...I wish they had been like that when I was that age!)
The big boys got these cool building things....
We also opened our Cousin and Sibling presents..
Hunter loves "Cars"
Everyone was really happy with our evening.
After we got home, we opened our Traditional Christmas Eve Jammies...
(always the jokester in pictures)
Then it was into our new jammies, and off to bed, hoping that Santa would come....
