Best Christmas Ever

This is the first year we haven't been students for Christmas.  This is the first year we haven't spent Christmas with grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  And this is the first year where we got to make Christmas happen instead of only letting grandmas and grandpas do the spoiling.  They do such a good job of it, we've never had to :)  It was so fun to be all grown up.  Figuring out a budget, getting as much as possible out of that budget, cheating a little on the budget because it is just so fun to imagine the looks on their cute little faces when they devour the wrapping paper and dig into the fun.

Growing up, on Christmas Eve, my family drove around and looked at Christmas lights, ate cherry chocolates and drank egg nog, and opened one present.  Then the kids went upstairs and stayed up all night playing games and watching movies.

Growing up, on Christmas Eve, Derek's family went rabbit hunting :)

Having Christmas, just the 4 of us, we were trying to figure out what our family traditions would be since neither of our traditions were similar in the least.  So every Sunday night after dinner and baths we drove around to different neighborhoods and looked at the lights.  Peyson liked that we open one present on Christmas Eve at Grandma Hoopes's so he asked when we were going to do that.  (Guess we get to adopt that tradition because the 4 year old says so)  But before that, we looked at pictures that painted the story of the first Christmas.  We talked about Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, the wise men and the shepherds, the star and the angels.  We talked about why we celebrate and why we give gifts.

And then it was down to business in all its worldly glory :) Only Peyson wasn't so thrilled to open PJs. He was totally hoping to open an amazing toy he could take to bed and love on all night long. Ainslee was ecstatic! :)  (and she hates taking pictures...)



I didn't want Peyson sneaking out in the night to open every gift and us miss the magic so we taught him how to face time and put the iPad in his room after he was asleep.  I also made a barricade. . .

At 4:00 I heard him yelling to me.  ?????  I went to see what he needed.  The iPad was dead. . .which means he had been up for some time playing games. . .waiting. . .but he couldn't get out :)  So I set my phone alarm and told him when it went off it would be time for Christmas.



Has Santa ever left you a trampoline in your living room?  :)  Me neither.  It's pretty awesome!  And it will fit in our narrow/sloped/little back yard when the SNOW!!!!!! melts.  For now, it sits in Peyson's room.

             

Every gift was greeted with squeals and excitement. 

And our Christmas Miracle.  SNOW!  Good thing I planned for a Michigan move last spring. . .we finally got some use of those snow suits I got on sale that were meant for a Michigan winter.

 

  

Our first little family Christmas was absolutely perfect.  (Even more so because my handsome husband cooked Christmas dinner!  Ham, potatoes, home made rolls.  Mmmmm)  We missed our families and all the chaos that comes along with it, but our Christmas was full of love and happiness. . .and snow. 



Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are going up in our neighborhood.  And I feel like we are moving up in the world because we, my friends, have rockin lights too!  :)

I've never had outdoor lights ever.  And driving around looking at them is one of my favorite things to do.  Actually participating in the awesomeness is so much fun!

So in Amarillo there's this company who does fancy pants lights.  You can choose as many or as little as you feel like. . .in any color. . .or every color.  They measure every pitch exactly and the lights are equally spaced and facing the same direction.  Basically it looks perfect.  Well, we can't flip the fancy pants bill. . .so we just pretend :)

Derek used the fence to climb onto the roof.  He tried to let Peyson too, but Peyson had a conniption fit and came back down.  I guess it is pretty high for a little guy.  So Derek hung out over the edge and put the clips on the shingles and put the lights in the clips.  I stood on the ground watching him and handing him more lights and clips as needed.  We still liked each other when he was done.  :) 

AFTER he jumped down off the roof we plugged them in and found 4 bulbs weren't twisted tight so they weren't lit. I bribed Peyson with "dragons blood", normal people like to call it a slurpee. I told him if he could be brave and have Daddy lift him up to the roof and go twist the light bulbs I would get him the biggest size of dragon's blood they have. No conniption fits this time. He was all over it.

Ainslee wanted to help too. . .she was a little less "all over it." But still as cute as ever.

I guess getting on a steep roof is totally worth it.

Now we aren't the only house on our block without lights. Our neighbor is.