Christmas Eve and Morning

Christmas Eve Mass
We had a lovely Christmas Eve Mass with a potluck following. We tried after Mass to get a new picture in the pew of the kids, but, alas, Isaac did not share our desire. So here's what we got before we gave up...our beautiful girls minus their handsome brother.

Christmas Morning
The kids sort of slept in this morning. Isaac did his usual early wake up, but went back to sleep on daddy until 7:30 and the girls and I slept until 8pm. Amazing Christmas present for me, right? Genna got dressed in her Christmas Eve dress before she even came down stairs. When I asked her why she changed already she just said, "I was so 'cited to wear my pretty dress again!" (I had told them the night before that they could wear whatever they wanted to on Christmas Day. Hannah came up with a very interesting ensemble that completely did not match.) We first put baby Jesus in the manger and then the kids were anxious to open the gifts that overnight appeared under the tree, not from Santa, but from me (the mom afraid to risk Isaac opening them early). Here they are all lined up in a row to open their first gift which happened to be from Aunt Leah and Uncle Kent.

Daddy got them all backpacks.


Isaac did pretty well opening his own gifts, a big difference from his first birthday. He got a recorder from his Mimi and Papa Boat. He's been blowing on it a lot. Thanks, by the way, Mom and Dad for that (ahem) noisy gift! ;)

Here they are with their quilts...

Isaac loves "bootball."

(I love that my bundles of joy are all tucked safely in the quilts that I made them out of love as I write this.)

We had some wonderful faithful friends over to celebrate Jesus' birthday later on. I made a turkey, sweet potatoes, hash-brown casserole, cranberry orange dressing, and a bourbon pecan tart drizzled with dark chocolate. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and Hannah said that was the highlight of her day. Genna's high was the brownies and ice cream that our friends brought over. You win some, you lose some, right? :)