The Day We Celebrated Christmas

So even though this post is 23 days after the fact, it is finally done.  This year, I had so much fun documenting every second with my camera.  Last year, I was too busy trying to figure out how to turn the darn thing on, so this year I had serious trigger finger.  That being said, I am issuing a warning:  This blog contains and inordinate number of pictures.  I love my family, I love Christmas and I love taking pictures – so this was the perfect storm for my SD card.  The funny thing is, that this post only contains about half of the images I decided to keep and that I will use in my family year book when I get around to making it in 2052.  So if you continue reading, you do so at your own risk and if you are an insomniac, you’re welcome – this should help you. 

These photos captured moments I never want to forget and that I wanted to share with our family and friends that we don’t get to see as often as we would like to and that are so nice, they keep asking when I will post our pictures.  The really nice part is that they know me, so they are well aware that it won’t be a small number and yet they are excited about it.  Here goes…

Christmas morning started out with some very excited little girls.  They checked and were thrilled that not only was Santa’s visit marked by the gifts he left, but also, that he and his reindeer enjoyed the treats they left for him and the plates were empty – minus the gross piece of carrot that one of the reindeer left behind.  Emily didn’t know what was about to happen but she could sense that it was going to be awesome and she squealed and/or shrieked with delight about everything that happened.

The excitement was contagious and everyone had lots of fun with their surprises.

These are just a few shots of my favorite people that I was so grateful to spend Christmas morning with.

Emily was seriously so funny – she had us all in stitches all morning long.  Her excitement about each gift rubbed off so we joined in and squealed with her.  She loved it and it is crystal clear to all of us that she is in charge.

After a bit, we took a food and hydration break and enjoyed a nice breakfast together.  My favorite part was that Kyle made his killer Christmas morning hot chocolate.  I think it is one part crack and three parts pure awesomeness.  It has about 7,299 calories per sip, but it is sooooo worth it you don’t even care… until the morning after.

After breakfast, it was time for more fun…

Emily continued her silliness by trying on my new slippers and Katelyn’s new helmet.  She also modeled her new Dora hat nightgown and was pleased with the crowds reaction.

We enjoyed a few reading breaks…

… and eventually got a bit worn out from all the hard work.  You can see we really made Emily work for some of her gifts.

Everyone got in a little bit of rest and relaxation during the process…

…and we had such a fun morning.  Then it was time to run around like crazy people so we could get to church on time.  After all, it we had to be there by the crack of one… PM.  We made it, but this picture had to be taken AFTER church.

After a beautiful church service, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon followed by one of our favorite traditions… Prime Rib Christmas dinner.  Somehow, I didn’t get a picture of Kyle with his dinner, so he is represented in the picture collage by the giant plate of meat.

Brooke’s favorite part is dipping her prime rib into strawberry jam.  Katelyn LOVES the twice baked potatoes and Emily’s surprising pick was the broccoli.  Like I’ve mentioned before, she keeps us guessing.

My favorite part was being with all of these amazing people and having more rolls to eat than there are letters in the alphabet.  Brooke even shared the strawberry jam with me.  We really loved having Gram and Pop with us to celebrate and tried to put them into a food coma so they couldn’t leave.

When we were able to waddle away from the table it was time to play.  We tried out some new games and just enjoyed spending the evening together.

It was such a great day and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family to share this special day with.  I am grateful for them and for my Savior and the opportunity we had to celebrate his birth together.  Merry Christmas!