Thwarted purging...

Betsey caught me purging a bunch of junky toys recently and she took the bag from me, dumped them out and reincorporated them (temporarily, ha!) into the toy mess.

 

 

 

Christmas Dinner...

We so enjoyed spending Christmas afternoon/evening with out long time friends, the Reynolds. They came down and we made a nice turkey and potato dinner with yummy sides and dessert and we all ate around our one big huge table. It felt kind of odd going into a holiday expecting to spend some of it with friends, but then there are friends who feel like family and that is how we feel about this family...so Christmas with them is ON!

Wyatt and Ruby...a little awkward for picture taking, but such cute friends.

Kesley and Eden.

Sommer and Talmadge...Ben gets honorable mention in the background carving the turkey.

Everyone sitting at the table (except for me, I'm behind the camera).

The day after Christmas we had a fun day of more good food and then everyone (except for me and Betsey) went ziplining at a property our church owns for several hours of fun.  I think there are pictures or videos somewhere, but I don't know where because I wasn't the one taking them!

All in all, we had a wonderful and memorable Christmas with the best of both worlds. For our first and probably not last Christmas at home, I'd say we hit a home run!

Our first Christmas at home...

After a wonderful Christmas Eve experience with my family, we headed home to get the kids to bed and prepare for Christmas morning at home. My parents followed us down and Jordan joined us too! It was so fun on Christmas Eve having Opa read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids and they opened their Christmas jammies (matching horse pj's, but I never got a shot of the three of them in them because Betsey went right to bed).

A long-time tradition in my house growing up was having to take a picture before we were allowed to go to the anticipated Santa gifts awaiting us downstairs. I wish Betsey was in her horse jammies, but she slept in her clothes it turns out. :)

Santa spent his entire budget for Ruby and Alice on some pretty special American Girl dolls! Can you feel the excitement? These girls really bought into that brilliant marketing scheme and there was no going back. We have an AG store close by and they love going there and the catalogs are like treasured books they love to pour over, and they sure were thrilled to see they each got a doll! Alice's is a Kit doll and Ruby's is named Rosie and looks like Ruby.

Betsey got a new stroller for her babies since hers are all broken hand me downs.

I think we got roughly 9 new hair brushes between all of us...Chris bought me things for my stocking and it turns out he was on the same page as Santa was for the older two girls...we have a shortage of brushes at our house!

Happy girls with Uncle Jordan (always the most prized guest for sure).

Betsey also got a baby diapering kit and she got right to work.

Aunt Pam and Uncle Matt and their kids sent such nice gifts for the kids! They got cute mittens and scarves which they loved and used when we got all the snow this winter.

They got handmade hats!!! Mattie, only 10 years old made this hat and scarf for Ruby!!! Woah! Ruby knew it immediately when she saw it and there's no doubt she was thrilled. She wears it all the time!

Pam made Betsey this hat, which she readily put right on...it has a cute clip on it that doesn't belong on the hat, it is worn separately...but Betsey wanted it on the hat.

You can see the darling cupcake hat that Pam made for Alice here...for real, the cutest hat EVER!

We enjoyed a nice brunch together before they all headed out for the morning to go to church on their way back home. We had church at 1:30 and so we relaxed a bit longer and then went to an hour of church before meeting up with the Reynolds at our house for the rest of our Christmas fun!

Christmas Eve...

My mom's main focus for our family is on Christmas Eve. It's nice that other in-law families don't seem to have plans that night because we all enjoy being together and establishing traditions together that day and early evening. My mom was really on top of it this year and arranged for us all to do a service project for Project Linus, an organization that provides blankets for children who are experiencing trauma from illness or other family tragedy or disruption. It was an easy thing for the kids to participate in and they did a great job tracing and coloring...even ironing. I think the quilt squares turned out so nice, and that was all we had to do, then they are turned into the local chapter and they make quilts out of them.

Emma is proud of this puppy coloring job...

Ruby was sure enthusiastic in this pic...

Chris was really instrumental in the project...

We ate a nice, early dinner that was fun and tasty...Hawaiian Haystacks or Mt. Fuji's. We used to eat that a lot growing up with the Anderson/Farmer side of the family on Christmas Eve. Back in the day when I was the "cousin" and my mom was the "aunt". Now that I'm the "mom" and my mom is the "grandma", we have had to move the larger, extended family crowd to Christmas Eve Eve. However, I like that these traditions were started by my Grandpa and Grandma Anderson and that we are doing them with our own kids. One of those is acting out the story of the Nativity. My mom made costumes last year so the kids look more official. Ruby was a "wise woman" and Hailey was a wise man.

Ahhhh...exposure improved for this shot, yay! Here are best friends (they are so cute together, it is so endearing) Carson and Jane. Sigh. They must be shepherds...see their staffs?

Alice was Mary. This used to be the coveted role, but now they all want to be Angels...

Mason was cracking me up the whole play. He was thinking he was more of a Jedi Knight with a light sabre than a shepherd with a staff.

Let it be documented that Emma and Sarah had their turn to be angels this year! :)

Or was Mason possibly a hippy with a didgeridoo?

Yes. All this kid needs is a hat and a busy street corner.

We all exchange the cousin exchange presents together on Christmas Eve before people go their separate ways. Alice got a fun cowgirl hat and Ruby got a horse drawing kit that she loves and loves and loves.

Who knows what Betsey was up to, I really can't believe she isn't in any of these pics. I guess she was probably just in Chris' arms...funny little girl. There was more Christmas Eve had by us once we got home...our first time ever being home for Christmas!! The girls were so excited! Stay tuned.

Sequim

Ruby the budding photographer...

Ruby loves to take pictures. She set up this cute set using her quilt and she tried to get Betsey on board. She got her sitting there...but she wasn't any more cooperative for Ruby than she is for me. :)

 

 

Here she even got her dressed!