Christmas

This was a special Christmas to me with it being our "first" Christmas back in Texas. Although we were here last year, we weren't settled and definitely not complete. Now we have our whole little family and a "grown-up" house with all our family not too far around. Here are a few pictures leading up to Christmas.

This girl LOVES to hold Kyler.  She is one great big sister. 

We love our new piano that I inherited from my grandmother. I look forward to my kids playing on it (and maybe even I will learn a few new tunes) over the years. I have a lot of great memories playing on this piano at my grandmother's house.

Sweet cheeks!

Bass Pro Fun...boats, carousels, fish, and trains...can't get much better than that! 

Elfie Tada showed back up this year and did a great job watching our kiddos and keeping them in line!

Baby's First Christmas Picture :)

#pinterestfail

Gingerbread House Fun

Another picture I will cherish, first year with a piano.

Cookie making time! Cooking with three is a challenge. The big two just want to taste EVERYTHING. Kyler is good, but you can't leave him alone for a second, you never know what he's going to grab and put in his mouth. Needless to say, we somehow made two types of cookies this year. Memories in the making!

Before we headed out the door to our Christmas Eve Church service.

When we got home, we sat by the fire and ate our traditional "Journey to the Manger" dinner. Every year we enjoy the opportunity to teach the kids about how Mary and Joseph traveled a long way trying to find a place to stay for the night before baby Jesus was born. It's fun to make it more of a reality by eating the types of foods they may have eaten on their journey. Olives, grapes, dried sausage, hard cheese, pita bread, hummus....and of course we have to end the night with some eggnog and cookies :)

Christmas morning....Santa came!! This year Katelyn and Levi were so afraid they would see Santa if they came out of their rooms before 6:30 (which they think of as "morning time") and that he wouldn't leave them any presents. Soooo....Katelyn woke up with a bloody nose (which she hasn't had in a long time) but didn't want to come get me for help because it wasn't "morning time" yet. And Levi had to go potty so bad. They both chose to wait until 6:30 and when they finally came out Katelyn was more concerned about the blood all over her room than her Barbie Dreamhouse. And Levi had had an accident, which he normally never has. Not the best start to Christmas morning, but they were all in great spirits and we got cleaned up and started upwrapping those presents!!

We also had an Eggnog French Toast Casserole and an Egg, Biscuit, Sausage Casserole..YUM! Merry Christmas to all!