Christmas Eve - Christmas Morning ~

Christmas Eve is such a strange day for me.  It feels like the slowest day ever but then suddenly there is so much to do and no time left to do any of it!  We start out Christmas Eve with a little breakfast party at our house.  It's a tradition that I absolutely love.  If anyone knows me they know that I love a good tradition!  We had cousins and family over to play and eat and play some more.  My mom always has presents and games for the kids complete with a Christmas Lego set and ornament exchange story.  We hate to have people leave but they have to go and get ready to get together for dinner at my parents later!

After all the family left Spencer went errand running and me and the kids made our traditional homemade marshmallows.  It is always a huge mess and a lot of fun!  It's usually much colder than it was today so when I put my mixer on the porch to cool as it mixes for the 30 minutes or so it takes it took longer than we expected!  I'm just glad my mixer can take it. 

We got to cleaning up and organizing the house just how we like it for Santa to visit.  By this time it was time for us to get ready for 'dinner' at my mom's house.  We went over at around 3:30 this year to have kind of a lunch/dinner of our traditional Christmas soup.  It was delicious as ever!  I decided the first time she made it when I was a kid that it should be a tradition and named it 'traditional Christmas Soup' to ensure that it was.  It stuck and we enjoyed it this year too!  My kids love it and already remember it.  So much fun.  My mom had presents of pajamas for all of us which was so much fun.  Ezra got superhero jammies, Mase and Spencer got Mickey Mouse, Ethan got some super cool BYU flannels, and Victoria and I got matching purple fleece.   After the early dinner and fun presents we all set out to see the Christmas Lights in the Riverwoods.  It was freezing and gorgeous. 

We came home to make our hot chocolate and eat our marshmallows and treats.  Victoria, Spencer, and Ethan ended up in a whip cream fight.  There was whipping cream everywhere.  They were laughing. 

The kids were mostly excited to get to the present opening.  Nan and Papa Shaw sent pajamas for the kids too.  We had to get a picture of all of the kids showing off their pajamas.  Ethan was embarrassed that they were tightys so he tried to hide!

Victoria was funny when she opened hers.  She was not at all discrete about not liking them.  We made her put them on and when she did she liked them.  They were very soft and cozy.  After that she never wanted to take them off!

After we talked about Christmas and read our Christmas story the kids went off to bed.  We were so tired already that I wish we could have just gone to bed!  We have always kept every present hidden until Christmas Eve.  The kids all gave us theirs as they wrapped them to hide so that magically before Santa comes we put out all of the gifts for everyone all at once.  Ethan has always loved it because it is such a surprise and a change in the morning.
This year if you asked my kids what they wanted for Christmas Victoria would say, "a cat." Not happening.  Ethan said, "an electric scooter," or "an electric motorcycle," or "a BB gun."  Hmmm, not really sure about most of those!  Mason really would have loved if we could have pulled off a bike, but he is happy with anything.  But then Ezra... Ezra was a funny little kid.  He was a little confused with Christmas.  I think that he really thought it was another birthday or something.  When you would ask Ezra what he wanted for Christmas he would answer, "I want balloons and cuppy cuppy cup cakes."  So darling!  He stuck to that all month long.  Luckily Santa surprised him with exactly what he wanted.

It really was quite fun to have a room filled with balloons for Christmas.  It was a first for all of us.  This is what the kids saw when they woke up and walked into the room together...

The funny thing was that the stockings were what held Victoria's obsession.  She was so curious about what in the world could be in there.  Ethan kept explaining that we do the stockings very last and that just about killed her!

It's kind of fun having our tree on a platform that is raised about 14"  off the ground.  It really gives us a great place to stash stuff!

Ezra got some of the yummiest cuppy cuppy cup cakes ever.  They were fantastic.  He even got enough to share.  Along with his balloons Santa brought him a new train.

Victoria changed her mind from a cat the the beanie babies 'Chipmunk' dolls.  Spencer kept telling her that 'Santa must be real because he would never buy her that!'

Ethan got his Heely's.  He didn't ask for them but he was thrilled when he got them.  He put them on and was riding all over the kitchen for the next 30 minutes.  He was happy.

Mason got a new puppy.  This makes #7 I think?  He loves that puppy.  He wasn't very interested in Christmas this year.  Usually he rolls around in the wrapping paper and loves it, but he kept trying to leave and go to his cupboard in the kitchen.  Poor kid, kept getting dragged back to be with us.

It was just so much fun to walk into this Christmas room, I have to post all of the pictures I took!  We had such a great morning.  Our kids are funny.  They have always taken their time.  Christmas morning lasted a few days at our house.  More on that next..