christmas eve 2017

We started out Christmas Eve morning by going to The Last Jedi with the Burches and Uncle Danny.  

Gus insisted on wearing his Jedi robes and we let me because the Force just can't be contained in him...

 We went to a lovely 4:00 Mass at the Cathedral...

 Mom got the family picture she requested without too much trouble...

More pictures with Baby Jesus (we love him!)...

Oh, and then more group pictures at home because it is my Christmas too people!!

And they will all thank me someday for all the wonderful pictures I make them take..

We ate tamales for dinner and then it was time to open the Christmas Eve presents...

They aren't surprised to get books anymore, but at least they are still surprised which book...

And they legitimately are excited about them, too...

This Tomie dePaola Pop-Up book was a special find that mom was really excited about...

Francie was being extra adorable that night and couldn't stop dancing for everyone...

Then time for jammies and putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer...

Then Dad read "The Night Before Christmas" as usual before getting in bed as soon as possible.

(Does it look like someone is tired of me taking pictures?)

Well, I certainly didn't stop taking pictures.  I just waited until the next morning to take a million more!

advent 2017

So much fun jammed into one month!

...

 Light Parade with BAABEe and Minnie Mouse...

Hanging lights with Dad...

 

And keeping our beautiful winter lawn perfect thanks to our new law guy...

Just generally enjoying the "fall" weather...

We got our Christmas Tree from Costco this year which is strange since you walk into a big truck to pick it out, but the kids actually thought that was fun and it was such a good tree!!

(However, we got it so early we didn't put it up right away which was difficult for all of us)

Shoes went out for St. Nick as usual...

My baby got into the ribbon box, but I must have let the Monica Gellar in my go because I just watched her and took pictures...

When Aunt Angie came to town we decided we better pack a lot of Christmas fun into her short visit.
We headed out to Scottsdale Fashion Square. 
First stop was the Disney Store to meet up with Mimi and the Burches.

The kids could have spent the day there picking out potential Christmas presents so the only thing to wrestle them away was the thought of Santa very near-by.

The build-up was very fun.  Everyone got to be assessed to find out if they were on the naughty or nice list...

They all scraped by.  Then there were some other fancy things like dancing elf videos and reindeer flying machines.

All of that was fun, but once we got up to Santa no one in my family was quite sure about it.  Dot talked his ear off, but I had to be in the picture in order to get my kids to sit by him.  My kids weren't too chatty with him, but they did think it was fun when he came and snuck into our picture...

Jimmy played his saxophone in the school band at his first ever Christmas concert...

He had an attentive audience...

We put the tree up after making the kids wait almost a week with it outside (so mean, I know!) ...

We set up the train track...

Wrote letters to Santa and mailed them...

We went to the Live Nativity at the church down the street from our house...

We pose with Baby Jesus wherever we can.  We had a caroling night with friends and took some more pictures with Baby Jesus...

We made shortbread cookies...

And we ate shortbread cookies...

The boys had their school Christmas concert...

Uncle Danny and Courtney got to come to it which was extra special, but it was even more fun hanging out with them after and eating cookies and cocoa...

Aunt Nat arrived in time for her favorite tradition-- getting BAABEe's tree...

It was huge as ever...

Then Nano and Nana came!

And the Kerstings!!

We save some of our shortbread dough to make into shapes to be decorated...

Nora and Nano made Mortimer the Christmas Mouse...

And this all was only the lead up to the main event.