Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was exactly as it should have been. There was baking, there was church, there was a family game in the living room on a lazy afternoon... and a few gifts thrown in before bed. All the while, the anticipation of Santa coming, keeping up with his whereabouts on the Santa tracker and looking forward to putting Jesus in the manger on the Advent calendar.

We started the day off with our traditional Christmas morning pancakes and gathering in the kitchen to make a birthday cake for Jesus.

We spent the entire day in our pajamas, played three rounds of UNO Moo and gathered around a game of Mouse Trap - all four of us - when Daddy got home early from work.

The candlelight service at church was wonderful as always. It's always one of my favorite parts about Christmas every year, and this year for the first time I let Jaden hold his own candle during the traditional singing of 'Silent Night.' After all the candles were lit, he leaned over and whispered to me, "It looks so beautiful in here!" I spent the rest of the song frequently glancing over at his expression, his silhouette illuminated by the light of a candle in front of his sweet face.

After church we gathered both families together for some food, wine and a few gifts. The boys received some additions to their growing Ninja Turtle collection, and the "Shellraiser" was and is a huge hit!

We headed home late, put on our jammies, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and opened two new Christmas books by the Christmas tree. We read The Night Before Christmas and The Christmas Baby before placing a slice of cake and a cup of milk out for Santa. It was such a peaceful night, tucking them into bed and not hearing a single peep from them after I closed the door. That is for sure the fastest they have gone to sleep!

 More to come from a wonderful Christmas day...