Christmas 2012

 I didn't think that I had that many Christmas pictures until I started putting together this post... These are a few I forgot to put up of the kids with their grandmas from our tea at the Jefferson.

Before Christmas we had our 3rd annual Gingerbread House making party... some of our friends were sick and really missed, but we all ate candy in their honor! It felt a little more full this year because the little sisters all grew up and could now participate!

The few weeks leading up to Christmas my little helpers and I were busy making many gifts for people, but by the time Christmas eve arrived we were finished and even I was able to just relax and spend time with family. We spent Christmas Eve day at Janet & Walter's house where the kid opened their stockings that Janet makes for them every year... this year was the year of the dinosaur!

Neveah got to wear her very special Christmas Eve dress that came from Avery... she had been counting down the days!

This is one of my favorite pictures ever! Don't they both look so pretty?!

We headed to the Christmas Eve service at church for a nice little evening with some of our church family. The Huizenga girls are a family favorite (I have no idea why Max especially is so fond of these gorgeous blondes).

After church we had a nice little dinner with the 4 of us and then the kids got ready for bed in their Christmas pjs. 

Practicing their faces for the morning's festivities...

 Snuggled up and so stoked for the morning!

Their handmade Mama & Daddy gift this year was a tee pee

We got to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out the candles on his birthday cake while we waited for the rest of the family to arrive :)

Honey knows how Neveah loves sparkly pink things...

The slippers that she said she never ever wants to take off... she does for school, but other than that they are typically on her little feet.

This alien guy came over for brunch too.

I do have to say, of all the gifts that my children received, a small notepad and pen from the stockings at Janet's house were by far their favorite things! Go figure...

After a great time of relaxing and eating all day we headed to Grampy & Grandmas for an Italian feast and more gifts... Before dinner Max and Neveah wowed us with their Biblical knowledge as they out-shined Mandie in answering questions about the Christmas story. Max even let everyone know that Herod had wondered if Jesus the one that the prophet Micah had mentioned!

The poor little elf that was alone while we all stuffed ourselves!


Other Eric with "mini- Other Eric" (maybe we should nick name him Moe?)

Max and Neveah are so excited to have their sweet little cousin!!

Neveah loooooves her grandma!

Sweetest little baby!!!

Max is a sports enthusiast... is any one shocked?

The cousins were all so sweet to immediately begin set up!

The kids and Mandie continued their tradition of making the punch!

John and I decided a long time ago that Santa just wouldn't be a part of our families Christmas tradition (totally fine if you do though :) We certainly read books with Santa and don't shy away from the stories about him, but we tell our kids about how Santa was a real person who lived a long time ago and really loved Jesus etc... This is the year that they decided to become super verbal about that though. Every time we were out at a store random people would be in shock when they asked our kids if Santa was going to come to their house this year... the response would be "no, Santa is not real" or "Santa died a long time ago" or "that's not the real story of Christmas" (on one occasion Max got to share a lot about Jesus with a sweet lady at the mall).

On that same note, our good friends the Millers watched our kids as well as the Martino kids so that we could go to the staff Christmas party (major friend points right?) While we are at the party John got a text from Joe that read "Max just told all the kids (there were 8) that Santa is not real and I've been doing damage control ever since!" I think Joe saved Christmas for the Santa believers there, but it was quite hilarious!!

We had a really special season celebrating Jesus with our friends and family. I am so grateful for the families that we are a part of... they are so full of God's love and it makes me want to cry when I think about how loving, supportive, encouraging, and generous every family member is to us and our kids... another cool thing that many people can not claim is how well our families get along with each other... It is so cool that John and I's respective families have just meshed into one giant one and I am so grateful for that!