Christmas Eve

Grandma JoAnn telling the Christmas story 

Zach, Keagan, Kabree & Shay 

  

Christmas PJ's  

Shay helping Kabree write a letter to Santa 

     For Christmas Eve this year we headed to Grandpa Vance and Grandma JoAnn's.  We enjoyed a steak dinner with shrimp and Grandma's yummy peach pie with Shawn and his kids.  After dinner we listened to Grandma tell the Christmas story, sang some Christmas carols and let the girls open their Christmas pj's.  They both loved all of it and were very excited for the new pj's.  After getting bathed and in our new pj's Shay helped Kabree write a letter to Santa and leave out the milk and cookies.  Both girls were pretty excited to be spending the night at Grandpa and Grandmas but the fact it was Christmas too made falling asleep a bit hard but they were both super "good" about it so Santa would still leave us something.  As always it was a perfect Christmas Eve, family, hearing the Christmas story and of coarse singing Silent Night.

Cousin Party

Libby, Kabree, Hanna and Justice 

Heather, Keagan and Chase 

Unwrapping 

    We are so lucky to live 2 1/2 minutest from Matt, Heather and their kids and we are lucky that 4 days out of the week Justice and Hanna get to spend it with us!  Grandpa Vance had major back surgery and was in a lot of pain and needed someone to go to his doctor and pick up a prescription and drop it off at the pharmacy for him.  Chase and Libby watched the kids so Heather and I could ride together to take care of the prescription then we picked up Chinese food.  After lunch we opened our gifts for each other.  I'm so glad that we were able to spend a few hours with Heather and the kids before heading out of town.  We are so lucky to have them and are so grateful for all they do for us.

Family Christmas Party!

Kabree was pretty excited to open gifts 

Skylar, Paisley and Wade 

Kabree, Zach and Keagan 

Lynden, Sean, Wade and Kira 

Caleb, Adam and Sandra 

Wade 

 Therin, Megan, Paisley and Sally

Stockings 

Kabree wanted to sing for Grandpa Gary and Grandma Sally 

Therin and Megan 

The girls loved their new microphones 

    All of Zach's siblings were able to get together this year for a Christmas party and Grandpa Gary's and Grandma Sally's house.  We had a super yummy dinner and then got VERY spoiled by Grandpa and Grandma.  The kiddos LOVED everything they got and had so much fun opening gifts and their stockings.  All the girls got microphones and that was probably the hit of the night.  After they got those that's what they played with for the next hour.  It was great for all the kids to see and play together, with everyone moving they don't get to see each other that often any more.  I cannot say it enough, Zach and I are so lucky to be able to live close enough to both our families that we can visit them all during the holidays.

Cookie Party 2013

 Potato soup time!

Hanna, Mattie, J.T., Morgan, Makenna, Wyatt, Kabree, and Justice

Megan, Paisley, Gary, Therin, and Skylar 

Larin and Chase 

Jessi and Jessica 

Heather, JoAnn and Jessi 

Had to know J.T. and Chase would wrestle at some point during the party 

Shawn and Whitney 

Whitney, J.T. and Zach 

Eric 

 Wild Monkeys!!!!

 Therin and Zach

Lynden, Kabree and Paisley 

 JoAnn, Keagan and Whitney

Keagan did not like her picture taken in the car!

Our favorite  house this year! 

Kooper, Ethand, J.T. and Kabree 

The cookies

Makenna, Hanna and Mattie 

Keagan wanted to "help"Therin 

Hanna and Santa 

Justice 

Lynden 

Paisyley 

Kabree 

Keagan wasn't so sure what she thought about Santa 

"Maybe he isn't so bad" 

Morgan and Santa 

J.T. 

Wade and Therin 

Even Shay took a turn 

 All the excitement of the night wore everyone out!!!

    One of our favorite things every year is our annual Cookie party!  It's a ton of work but I'm always glad we did it (sometimes it take a day or two after to feel that way : ).  This was Zach and my 7th year doing it and as long as we live here we will always do it.  I love to see the Christmas lights, Zach loves the cookie and it gets us in the Christmas mood.  As I was stressing over people thinking and saying my house was too small to host it this year my brother Larin reminded me how small, his, Shawns and Heathers houses use to be and not one of them cared that's not what matters.  So thank you for that reassurance and reminding me why we started doing it in the first place, because we have two awesome families and are lucky enough to live close enough to both that we can throw a party and have both families come!

    This year was a bit crazy for the first bit, the Arbon youth needed a place to wrap gifts for a family they were doing Christmas for so they used Kabree's room while the party was going on in the rest of the house it made it a bit crazy but that's ok it all worked out!

    As always we started out the night with potato soup and rolls, then we headed out to see the lights.  Keagan liked seeing the lights but she was not very happy with her Mommy taking her picture.  After seeing the lights we headed back to the house for cookies and milk.  Kabree was super excited because she got to ride with Uncle Larin and Aunt Jessica this year in their van with all the other kids close to her age!  She was also excited to see her cousins Paisley and Therin who were visiting this weekend, so they were able to come join the party this year.  But most of all Kabree was excited about our special visitor SANTA!!!!

    After eating cookies we had a knock at the door!  It was Santa!!  We were so lucky that Santa stopped by our house to say hi!!!  He even checked on his cell phone with his Elves to see if his list was accurate with what the kids wanted!  Keagan wasn't 100% sold on Santa but she decided he was ok after a minute or two : ).  As you can tell after a BIG night like that EVERYONE even us adults were tired!!