Christmas

It's been such a busy week!  Evie got out of school last Wednesday and my cousin Olivia, who we call Tia, was in town so we met up with her Wednesday evening, along with my grandmother and Kathy, and we saw Coco again and went to dinner.  It was great to get to see Tia while she was in town.

Seth snapped this pic of 4 generations watching Coco, a movie about the importance of remembering family.

Tia and Evie

I was really amused by the exchange at dinner that went like this:

Me: Evie, we need to cut your hair.  You want to go do that this week?

Evie: No.

Kathy: Yeah, maybe wait until it's warmer, like summer time.

Me: Kathy, you're not helping.

Tia: How about this - I need a haircut too, so what if I go get a haircut and you go get a haircut, and we'll send each other pictures.

Evie: Yeah.... or we could do that in the summer.

I took off from my work-from-home job and so Evie and I had fun around the house getting ready for Christmas.  We made Christmas cookies and crafts, wrapped presents, and watched plenty of Christmas movies.  Unfortunately Daddy had to work all week, but we enjoyed ourselves, and Daddy helped with cookie decorating.

Evie really enjoyed cutting out the dough

And rolling it

But decorating was the most fun.

Another funny exchange was during cookie decorating when Evie was asking Seth to explain something (I don't remember what) and she said, "Daddy, can I ask you something?  And don't be funny."  She already knows Daddy has a penchant to answer things in a funny manner.  

On Friday, my brother and his family came in town, so we spent most of the rest of Christmas weekend at my parents' house.  The kids played and we all decorated the Christmas tree on Saturday.

Addie (9), Will (6), and Evie (5)

Evie wearing beaded garland and about to hang up the Wizard of Oz ornament collection I had as a child.

Sunday was Christmas Eve and Evie had spent the night at my parents', so I came over Sunday morning before church and, per tradition, we all listened to the King's College Christmas Eve service (it's in England, so they have their evening service during our morning).  As I sat listening to carols, I watched Evie, in her childhood wonder and anticipation, inspecting the presents under the tree.  These are the moments of parenthood I've always imagined and cherish.

We went to church for regular Sunday morning worship, then back to my parents' house for a brief interlude of eating before the Christmas Eve service.  Our family-at-large was asked to light the Advent wreath for the Christmas Eve service, and we decided to divide the reading up between all the kids.  Evie said the opening and closing sentences, Addie read the scripture, and Will read the prayer.  It was wonderful to listen to.

Will, Ryan, Addie, Aimee, Evie, Patsy, Mike, Emily (and Seth is on my left but not pictured)

 After the service, we tried to wrangle all the kids together for a picture.  My mom's youngest sister Kristy was there with her husband and kids, so it was a bit of a task to try to get them all to calm down enough and look the same way, but we made it in the end.

Evie (5), Addie (9), Lydia (8), Aiden (11), Will (6), Zach (15)

After the service, we went back to my parents' house and had my favorite meal of the whole year.  Then we brought Evie back to our house and Kathy came to stay with her while Seth and I went with my Dad and Ryan to church.  Kathy said Evie did great going to sleep, I'm sure with visions of sugar plums dancing in her head.

Christmas morning we opened stockings and presents.  Evie had asked Santa for three things: hatchimals, a magic wand that does real magic, and a watch that would turn her into Owlette (a character from PJ Masks).  I told her Santa could only bring one thing, so we'd see what he chose.  He chose hatchimals, and she was thrilled.

Opening her hatchimal

We then went to my parents' house and did gifts from/to Addie, Will, Evie, and my parents, then Grandma Jeanne, Kathy, and Rickie came over for lunch, and more presents, and then we went to my Uncle Tim's house for my mom's side of the family to have dinner and more presents.  Christmas is an epic, non-stop day of eating and present opening.

Evie and Granna ready to open presents at Tim's

So much excitement!

It was a wonderful Christmas, as always.