Christmas

Christmas and Thanksgiving are my two favorite holidays.  I am super sad they are both over and now I have to wait another year for them to come around again.  I just love sitting in the dark with the lights of the Christmas tree on, surrounded by famiy, and feeling the spirit of love fill the air so heavily.

This year we spent Christmas at my parents house.  Everyone was able to be there except for my sister Lenise who is on a mission for the LDS church.

I think my favorite part of Christmas is actually Christmas Eve.  I feel like Christmas Eve is the time our family focuses mostly on the Savior and the nativity and then Christmas morning is more about the gifts.  We were fortunate enough to be able to visit both my grandparents houses on Christmas Eve.  Therefore we got a LOT of yummy food and got to participate in two nativity reenactments.

Elsy was an angel at the Merkley nativity (she is 3rd from the left on the back row).  I wish I had gotten a picture of just her in her little white outfit and pig tails!

 

  

For the Volmer nativity, our part was to sing Silent Night with my siblings and their families.

Our family tradition is to get new pajamas right before bed and watch Mr. Krugar's Christmas.  This year we watched it during the Volmer nativity program so we ended up watching old Christmas home videos instead and getting some good laughs in.

On Christmas morning we all go into my parents room together and jump on them to wake them up.  This year just the grandkids did the jumping.

We then commenced in the kitchen where we got our stockings.  Riley was a bit annoyed that we slept in this year long enough for the sun to come up.  "Its my pet peeve to be opening presents in the light!"  Oh dear.

Santa was good to us this year and we had a blast opening gifts from our family.  It is always exciting when you have presents for family members you are anxious to give.  

Yes, my mom got socks but we were really taking a picture of Elsy sitting in a box hugging her new over sized Olaf.  I wish we got a better picture but she just carried him around all morning and sat in that box hugging him.

Grandma and Grandpa Bean sent the slide!  All the grand kids had a blast going down it.  And they loved having their toys go down it too!

Logan made Elsy this awesome tent out of some scrap wood and a sheet.  I thought he did an amazing job and Elsy loved it.

All three of the cousins were sick during the holidays but they still had a blast together.  I can't wait until they are a little older and really play with each other instead of just next to each other.  

Later on Christmas day we got to facetime Lenise!  It was so much fun to get to chat with her and let her see all the little cousins.  

What a wonderful season we had.  I am so grateful for the Savior and for this time of year to celebrate his birth.  I love love love my family and was so glad to spend it with them!  Yay for Christmas time!