Christmas bells are ringing.

I thought my girls looked so beautiful before church on Sunday—I had to insist on a picture, and the little boys insisted on getting in it too.  (The settings on the camera were really weird because Brett had changed them for something and I didn’t realize.  So the colors are a little weird.)

I played the organ at church and had to stay there the whole time because we sang a whole bunch of Christmas hymns and Brett was on the stand so some young women were sitting with our kids and taking care of them and I just kept looking at them thinking how adorable my little kids are.  Hazel was so gorgeous in her dress and with her hair in a bun with the pretty flower, and Ethne looked like a present wrapped with a bow.  Sometimes it’s nice to be able to look at your kids from a little bit of a distance, because when you’re not the the one wrestling them all through church you’re more apt to see how sweet they are.  (Plus I think they behave better for someone else than for me.)  :)

On Sunday evening we got to go have dinner with some of our favorite friends, Keith and Dru and their kids Josh and Kelly.  We stayed late and laughed and visited and the kids played and Ethne begged for Kelly to paint her fingernails, and the kids even—of their own accord—put on a nativity pageant for us.  Sweetest thing ever!  Maybe Dru can share some of her pictures and then I will post them.  It was a great evening.

On Christmas Eve Brett had to go in to work because he was machining something for a guy who had his thesis defense and didn’t have it ready.  But it worked out, because I walked up to the store with Orrin to get things for dinner, and the other kids watched a movie.  Then when I got home I told them to go outside and Talmage took them to his Waldspielgruppe spot.  I sent the little camera with Jethro and he took some pictures for me. 

It warmed up and all the pretty snow melted and now everything is wet and muddy.

Jethro told me, “I made them take this picture.”  Ha ha.

For our Christmas Eve dinner, we followed my family’s tradition of hoagies—which I think is the best traditional Christmas Eve meal ever.  I even made the traditional drink- grape juice mixed with ginger ale.  And when I took my first sip, and my first bite, I thought—oh, it really tastes like Christmas Eve!

Everyone else liked it too.  Talmage even said, “This dinner is so good I will say thank you TWO times!”  :)

We opened our Christmas Eve pajamas and they were all cute (even Brett got some!) but I did a silly thing and ordered wrong sizes for Hazel and Talmage.  For Talmage that’s okay, because he’ll grow into them, but I got a size 5/6 for Hazel.  Oh well.  She can still wear them for now.  Silly me.  When Brett came into the living room after changing into his pajamas, he started jumping around like a crazy man, and Orrin stood there, staring at him.  It was so hilarious.

Hazel’s pajamas came with a matching scrunchie, and she was like, “What’s this?”  And I had to laugh because well, scrunchies used to be ubiquitous. 

The kids all  got into bed in the same room, but it didn’t last too long before Jethro decided he’d rather be comfortable in his own bed.  So he and Talmage left.

Christmas day was perfect, with plenty of great presents to drive, fly, read, fight with, and build.

‘Here Dad, let me help you with that—I’m sure my sword will work better than that little screwdriver.’

 

Weaponry—always a good gift.

I honestly think the kid who was most excited about a present was Brett with his RC helicopter.  :)  (Remember how last year he pretty much commandeered Jethro’s?)  Good thing Hazel decided to get it for him. 

This RC truck was really great!  While it lasted.

Another of my favorite quotes of the day was when Hazel said in an innocent, puzzled voice after opening her bow and arrow, “What made you think I would want this?”  She has since figured out how to shoot it and likes it a lot.  :)

Orrin liked pretty much everything.

The girls got Calico Critters.  We thought maybe Daddy would make a dollhouse, but unfortunately that didn’t pan out in time.  It could still happen though.

My handsome honey in some new clothes and with his beloved helicopter.

After the helicopter batteries ran out, we started trying to hit Rascal, the raccoon, but it proved a little difficult, even for Brett.  He did much better at hitting the kids.  :)

I just have to mention that Talmage is the cutest 4-year-old boy ever.

But look—I caught this action shot of Rascal being shot off the edge of the playground.  Sweet.

 

Hazel told me her little Calico Critters were lined up ready for a picture, so I had to take pictures.

This little hedgehog’s name is—duh duh duh—Hazel!  I had to get her, of course.

The boys got busy working on the lego ship.

  

Here’s Orrin playing with the calico critter stuff.  He’s dishing up soup onto the plates with the teeny tiny wooden spoon.

These are some little gnomes I made and I adore.  I came across the idea on someone’s blog, and for some reason they just are soooooo cute and perfect to me.

Brett brought home some wood and some special saws and we all cut out decorations one day.  Brett’s looked like this (and you can see some that the kids cut out and painted in the pictures of the table for Christmas Eve dinner):

      

Oh yeah, I got a GPS for the van so that hopefully I will not get lost so much.  :)  Also a garlic press and a cake stand.

So, we stayed in our pajamas all day, played, played, and played some more, snacked on goodies and leftover hoagies, read books, and played some more.  It was an absolutely great day and I just soaked it up.