Christmas Eve 2010

What a fun day!  It started out with a surprise too!  As we were getting ready for the day I heard a knock at the door and the kids answered it.  The next thing I hear is "HO HO HO, MERRY CHRISTMAS!"  I hurried downstairs to see Santa standing in our front room!  How fun!  Lindsay was just getting out of the shower, but still made it down in time to get a picture with him.  Santa stayed for a few minutes, told my kids that they'd been good this year, and then he gave them a candy cane from his bag.  What a great surprise!  Thanks Santa for taking the time to visit us on Christmas Eve! 

Ellie still tells everyone when asked what Santa gave her for Christmas this year....."a candycane."  Because he did!

 After our visit with Santa, we headed to my parents house for the annual Christmas Eve dinner.  Oh so yummy.  Ham, rolls, baked beans, a bazillion yummy salads, shrimp, oh delicious!  It's always fun to get together with family.  And this year, there were lots of them.  My parents, Callie and Brian and Olivia, Aimee and Brennen and Kaylee, my Grandma and Grandpa, Sherri and Bruce, Justin, Grandma Merrell, Jennifer and Johnny and kids, and Angie and Nate and kids...and us.  Phew! But we still wished a happy Hawaiian family and a few California residents could have been there too.  Next year Cami, Brian, Tyler, Suzanne....and kiddos!

 It's a tradition to get new jammies on Christmas Eve...and then of course you have to get a picture.  Baby Liv was eating at the moment, and missed this photo op, and then we forgot to get another one later.  This picture cracks me up....get a load of Ellie's face! lol.

 Lindsay, Ellie, Meagan, and Tanner.....love these kids!

 After dinner, we put together an impromptu Nativity.  Jennifer supplied the amazing costumes.  Thanks!  Johnny was the Narrator and I played the piano for a couple songs.  I'm not exactly sure who ended up with what parts, but everyone got to dress up.

 Cute Liv...the free range cow! :)  A "must" in every respectable Nativity.

 

The night eventually had to end.....and off we went, back to Morgan, to get ready for Santa!...