Christmas

We had such a wonderful Christmas and feel so blessed! We started the week off celebrating with my stepmom's side of the fam and our traditional white elephant gift exchange. We went to dinner with Andy's family for Christmas Eve after our service at church and then spent our first Christmas Eve night as "Santa" and got Mason's train table set up along with his other goodies. We woke up Christmas morning and were so excited to see Mason's face. He did not disappoint and was thrilled with his new table! We are not exactly sure where we are going to keep the thing, but for now, Mason is loving it down in the hearth room. We headed over to my family's later that morning and enjoyed a wonderful brunch before opening gifts. My grandparents came over and my dad read Luke chapter 2, and then we had lunch and spent some time just hanging out together. Next we headed over to the Garlich's. Andy's grandparents were there along with 2 of his uncles, one from Indiana, so we visited with them while all the kids napped. Once they woke up, it was present time! We had a great time watching everyone open their gifts and then enjoyed a wonderful meal together. Mason had such a fun time playing with his cousin, Ellie - it is so great watching them start to become "buddies."

This year I have really been thinking a lot about making sure my kids are fully aware of the true meaning of Christmas as they get older. It is hard not to get caught up in the gifts and business of Christmas, but I really hope that Andy and I can start traditions that emphasize the significance of Jesus's birth.

Here are some pictures!