Catching Up on Christmas Part I

I can't just bypass Christmas '07 simply because I didn't blog about it in time. And since the kids are "snuggled up in their beds", I'll try to recount some of our favorite parts of Christmas this year.

Our Christmas was spent in California surrounded by both sides of our families. The kids are spoiled with so many grandparents at their disposal at one time--and we are spoiled with so many willing babysitters at one time. Although Ryan and I whine and complain about the hassle and costs of making our way out West each Christmas, we know how wonderful it is to be with our parents and to see our kids with their grandparents. Christmas wouldn't be the same without all of the family and the tradition, so as long as we can make it out there each year, we will be there each year.

In this picture, Jared chose to put on the Santa hat-- I didn't make him wear it. Each year, we get dressed up for the Christmas Eve service.

After the Christmas Eve service, we head to my parent's house to celebrate the holiday and Christopher's birthday. This year, the kids chose the cake--Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Once the Christmas Eve gathering is over (which can be rather late in the evening), it is time to get the scene set for Santa.

Morning arrives and we can only open stockings while we wait for everyone else to arrive, but there is still plenty of fun (and coffee or hot chocolate) to be had.



Once all the aunts and uncles (otherwise known as my brother and sisters) are there, we can move to the Christmas tree. You know the chaos.
Did I mention that we always wear matching pajamas? I don't know when it started- we didn't do this as teenagers, but one year it seemed like a good idea and now we are all attached to the idea. This year's color scheme was great- I wish we had a better shot of the pajamas. Of course, we never get a great family shot on Christmas Eve when we are looking our finest--instead, we take the group shot after a late night and early morning. (And sorry Dad, I know half your face is cut off in this picture, but this was the best shot I had.)

Part II to be updated tomorrow (because we do eventually get out of our pajamas).