Oh how I love Christmas. I love the anticipation leading up to it. I LOVE Christmas cards in the mail. I love Christmas programs at school and church. I LOVE homemade gifts from my children. I love saving and thinking about and shopping and buying presents for my children. I LOVE buying stocking stuffers. I love Christmas music. I love drinking from goblets. I love Christmas candy and cookies. I LOVE the Christmas story and teaching my children about it. I LOVE family around. I love cutting down our Christmas tree and putting up lights and decorating it while listening to Christmas music. There isn't anything I don't love about Christmas come to think of it.
We were able to spend a few days up in Spokane with some of Jefferson's family this year. And though I was dreading the 10 1/2 hour drive and packing up and keeping Christmas hidden from our kids, it was a very fun and relaxing trip. I only left the house twice the whole time we were at Jefferson's mom's; once for church and once for a quick trip to the store to pick up prime rib for Christmas day. The rest of the time we stayed holed up at the Ranch snowmobiling, sledding, hiking, eating, laughing, playing games, talking, wrapping, cooking, and just enjoying each others' company. It was lovely.
BoBo and JoJo
It was all the boys from Jefferson's family this year; his brother Josh and his three step brothers Bart, Bryan, and Grant; no sisters. It was so fun to see them and their families.
The eve before Christmas eve we celebrated Christmas style with Jefferson's step brothers and their families. Bryan cooked authentic Thai food for us that was to die for! The ladies had the whole night off, the boys cooked and then cleaned up. It was amazing! Then the kids did the nativity and we enjoyed a plethora of pies... we're talking 7 or 8 pies. It was delicious, and I'm not even really a pie person!
Christmas eve was just us, Josh, and Teri and LJay. They did such a good job making my kids feel special. Gramitchy and Grandpa LJay bought the kids Christmas jammies. They made ginger bread houses together, colored stockings, and watched Christmas movies.
After sitting and talking about the Christmas story (again) Grandpa LJay finished the night off with a Christmas rendition of Henry Hooper. LJay has started the tradition whenever we are at their house to tell the kids a bedtime story after they are all tucked in bed. It's always about Henry Hooper. My kids will talk about Henry Hooper for days leading up to going up to Spokane and for days afterwards. They love to recount the stories to Jefferson and I.
Christmas morning our kids slept in until 6:45! :) Then we met in the living room at 7 with Grant and his family and Teri and LJay. I LOVE watching my kids when they first see their stockings and presents. It is magic. I love hearing them exclaim about everything in their stockings and how they run over and show me every item they pull out of their stocking. I love how they want to play and open and examine every item and that it takes a good 30 minutes for them to work their way through their stockings. It's my favorite. Then the kids took turns opening up their presents; one at a time, per Stewart family tradition (much to Jefferson's chagrin).
**Carter got a bathrobe (that he's been asking for for about a year), a nerf gun, over the door basketball hoop (that lights up with special glasses), basketball shoes and Disney Infinity. Andi got a Barbie and Ken doll, dress up clothes for her Madame Alexandria doll, a Monster High hair and nail kit witch hair chalk, and an MP3 boombox. Taytum got a Barbie in the Pink shoes Barbie, a color me My Little Pony, a girl lego set, a big wheels Barbie bike, Sleeping Beauty squinkies. Bentley got a baby fijit, a Barbie big wheels bike, a Penguin dream light, baby doll. Beckett got clothes, a Chuck truck, and building blocks.***
The rest of the day was spent playing board games, sledding, and going on the Wild Cat with Jefferson and LJay. Bryan and Jaime came over for the evening and we enjoyed a huge prime rib dinner. Yum! We played games and enjoyed our last minutes before leaving the next day. It was a delightful Christmas and we had fun spending it with family that we don't get to see very often.
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