Christmas Eve

We are in the process of making new traditions for Christmas Eve. In the past we have always gone to my Green Grandma's but this year we needed to decide if we were going to stay home or go to my brother's house 2 hours away. Going to my brother's house would have been a lot of fun but we were really feeling like we wanted to make traditions in our own home and sleep in our own beds. 

We started with a slow morning, got some dinner in the crock pot then went to the movie theater to see Frozen 2. We all liked it and going to the movies is a pretty rare treat for the boys so they were so excited! And they love the first Frozen! Anyway we got some popcorn and made it into the theater just in time. Max couldn't eat the popcorn because of his braces...haha! Anyway, everyone loved it and they were all good in the theater! So that's a win and another fun thing about their ages right now. 

Afterwards they even got a quarter to use in the machines which they may have liked more than the movie. 

When we got home, my friend Debbie had left a cute gnome family on our doorstep, (one gnome for each member of our family and my gnome and I happened to have matching braids that day)

I think we spent the next little while cleaning up the house and eating dinner. Then we made gingerbread cookies. We usually do this earlier in the season but we saved it for a fun Christmas Eve activity.

Our tree was so dried out by this time that is looked like it's collapsing on itself. But it was good while it lasted and was taken down a couple days after Christmas. 

We cleaned up dinner and got to work with our gingerbread. Everyone had so much fun!

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Max took some extra remnants of dough and made the kids favorite animal without a cookie cutter. Peregrine falcon (Charlie), turtle (Miles), Dolphin (also Miles), and Dog (Edwin).  Add "freehand animal cookie making" to Max's list of skills. 

After the cookies were done the boys decided they wanted to write notes to Santa. 

Charlie's note says "Dear Santa, we got you some cookies."

Miles' note says "Dear Santa Claus, I want a remote control car. I have been good."

And then it was bedtime, Max read The Night Before Christmas and the boys surprisingly settled down pretty quickly.


So I was excited to be Santa. I think I like Christmas with kids more than I liked Christmas as a kid. Stay tuned for Christmas morning.