Christmas 2010

Our  Christmas stockings were too stuffed to risk hanging by the chimney with care, so they were all lined up on the Hearth Christmas morning. We had a wonderful Christmas starting with Christmas Eve dinner which has become a family tradition. We missed having my niece Autumn and her husband Brett with us this year, but my niece April and her friend Lana were visiting from Pennsylvania so we still had a houseful, plus my parents and brother Jason for Christmas Eve and Melody, Tim, Jaina and Gavin for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Christmas was warm and cozy here but the rain earlier in the week wreaked havoc on my Mom and Dad's place.  The drain behind their bedroom clogged and their room filled up with muddy water.  They were busy cleaning up at their place, the girls moved over to our house for the holidays and our traditional Christmas Day dinner at Mom and Dad's place was cancelled.   We enjoyed a relaxed Christmas day here though.  We always have a big Christmas morning; opening the presents under the tree and the stockings.  Every year we also have the tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve.  The gift is always the same...new pajamas for everybody.  We open them up one at a time and while the person is opening them we take turns saying what we like and appreciate about that person.  It was fun to include April and Lana in the tradition.  Gavin was a good sport and we just passed him around the room during his turn and took turns saying nice things to him...what a sweet, happy little baby he is!   Jaina kind of enjoyed being the one to open up most of our presents, although she grew increaingly less excited about their content.  Autumn and Brett even joined in via Skype and got to open up their PJ's I had sent to them in Spokane.  

Everybody liked their comfy Pj's so much, I don't think April and Lana took them off all day!

Becky with the stuffed owl that Autumn made her.

April and Lana

It is so much fun having the little ones around during the holidays!  Gavin and Jaina really light the place up and bring us all so much joy!  Melody and Tim came back for Christmas afternoon too and we opened more gifts and had ham and Eldorado for dinner.

Gavin and I with one of his presents

Jaina with her new Camera on her Daddy Tim's lap

Jaina seemed to really like the Fisher Price digital camera that we got her.  She took a lot of extreme close ups of everyone. I am sure when they upload the photos there will be a lot of interesting eyeball and nose shots.   She and her photography loving mommy had a little shoot out with them chasing each other around the house taking pictures amongst squeals of laughter.  Jaina was really into it.

Gavin looked dashing in the little Santa suit we got him with his cute mommy Melody.

Becky and Jaina play in their pillow fort. There is always lots of play time with miss Jaina in the house!

Merry Christmas!