Christmas 2012!

Well, it's one day shy of the New Year. 2013? Wow. I can't wait to see what's in store! 

 I finally got a chance to get some pictures edited and made into a little video clip (since there are so many I wanted to share!). As much fun as Christmas is and how much I love having a festive home, it felt SO good to de-clutter and put all the Christmas decorations away. In Elijah's words- we said "bye bye kis mas tree" and "bye bye kis mas" till next year. I can only imagine it will continue getting better and better. I love celebrating Christmas even more now with our own lil' kidddos, it just makes everything that much more sweet and magical. 

We had a wonderful Christmas with our dear family. It's a blessing to be home. I loved watching the awe and wonder of Eli this Christmas-- learning the real reason for the season and the magic behind Santa Claus. There were many pictures taken, candy canes eaten, toys played with, stories read, dinners devoured, gingerbread houses built, naps missed, bed times moved back, cousins fighting, noses wiped, presents unwrapped, hugs given, songs sung, movies watched, and laughs had. We had a lovely time! 

Im so thankful we could spent Christmas eve with the Haan family-- dinner, Christmas Eve church service, presents, and games. And Christmas day with the Gerstner family-- presents, movies, playing, naps, dinner, and games. I also cherished our own little family time Christmas morning. Just us. We started the pancake tradition last year and this year we continued. We waited till Eli woke up and told him that Santa had come. He discovred his "toys in my stocking"! He was so excited. We woke Lukey up- he was all smiles with a VERY snotty face. He woke up Christmas Day with a terrible cold, and although he was pretty miserable the entire day, I love that I still got pictures of him smiling away. And, the extra rosey red cheeks were just a bonus. But, we could have lived without the constant runny nose and crying. But, he was still able to enjoy parts of the day. After stockings with our boys, we enjoyed a yummy pancake breakfast and sang "happy bir-day" to Baby Jesus. :-) We're so blessed and look forward to many more Christmases with our sweet little growing family.