Christmas

This year we stayed home for Christmas and just spent it as our little family. We were sad to be away from extended family, but at the same time it was fun to focus on our kids. 

On Christmas Eve we got together with Sam's brother's family. We had Sam's family's tradition of Hawaiin Haystacks for dinner, decorated gingerbread houses, the kids watched "Rudolph," and the adults played heads up - a fun game that my mom taught to us while she was here. 

After family left, the kids opened a Christmas Eve present from Grandma:

Christmas jammies! We all put our adorable new pjs on, and Sam taught the kids about the Jesus' birth with our Little People nativity set.

After the nativity story, the kids had a huge fight. Excuse the blurry pictures - I was laughing too hard.

Ellie: "No Nathan, you can't have a single one of the 15 nativity pieces! I need them all for myself!"

Ellie: "Sorry, I'm bigger and can just push you away." 

Nathan: "You want to put your hand right there? Fine, I'll bite it!" Then he grabbed one of her pigtails and yanked. She screamed and jumped on top of the toys to protect them.

I guess Nathan was satisfied after that, because he walked away with a pleased look on his face.

Sam and I had a pretty good laugh over that fight. Usually when Ellie takes things away from Nathan he just looks up at us and cries, waiting for us to intervene, but it was hilarious to watch him actually fight back.

After everyone was calmed down, we took a family picture:

Then we put the kids to bed. I made a cinnamon bread ring for Christmas morning, finished up the slush, Sam put the rest of the presents under the tree and put together one thing, and we were off to bed too. 

Christmas morning was great! It was nice and slow-paced. We opened presents, then had breakfast.

We got to talk to family and just be together celebrating Christ's birth. I am so grateful for the beautiful, humble beginning of the Savior of the World and that we have the opportunity each year to dedicate a day to celebrating it.