Christmas Recap

I really wanted to get this done before the new year, but obviously I failed...

We got to celebrate Christmas 4 days in a row! On the 23rd was my extended family party. We get together at a church(since we are so huge) and hang out almost all day. This year there were Gingerbread House making, coloring pages, basketball, snacks, and hanging out. Once everyone arrived we did the Nativity Story. My aunt keeps all the pieces in a tote. There are costume for all the characters and even signs with their parts on it. Afterwards we have a Sing-a-long. We sing the same songs every year but it never gets old! When we sing "It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas" and split into parts we compete to be the loudest and who can hold the final note the longest. It is so much fun. We usually sing this one again after all the others. The Nativity and sing-a-long are our traditions and we've done it every year as well as have a Pinata!!! My dad and his siblings take turns each year on who gets to make/get it. Then we start from the youngest kid and work our way up. Emmett was the youngest and got to hit first! I don't think we got past the 8 year olds before the pinata was done. After the mad dash for candy we settle down and my Grandparents hand out gifts for everyone and we give them our gift. We use to draw names and exchange gifts with everyone, but we have gotten so big now that a different sibling of my dads is in charge of the family service project and we donate to whichever place they chose. Last year was the food bank and this year was the Road Home.

On the 24th we had Mark's dad and brother and his family over to our house. We played a few games and had a nice ham dinner. Then we exchanged gifts with each other. Nik and Chase wanted to open everyone presents not just their own. Before we go to bed on Christmas Eve we always open one gift which is pajamas. Then we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol and put cookies and milk out for Santa. We also have a special key to hang on the door so Santa can get in. Chase was super excited!
The next morning, Emmett woke up before Chase so I woke Chase up. I told him that Santa had come, I said it several times before he realized what was going on and shot out of bed. He was so excited to open his presents. We let the boys take turns one then one etc. It was lots of fun. Breakfast took longer than we liked, but was yummy sticky buns! Chase got a bike from Aunt Kiera(but we pretended it was from Santa) and after breakfast we took him outside and let him ride it for a bit. He can't quite figure out the pedaling but he got a couple turns in. We vegged the rest of the day and enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner.
On the 26th we drove out to Greenriver, WY for my family party with my siblings and parents. My brother and his wife held it at their house and prepared a nice ham dinner. It was really nice being with all my brothers and their families. We chatted and opened gifts. Again Chase kept thinking it was his turn. Then we played Harry Potter Scene It and Twilight Scene It. Mark and I won both. Then we made the journey home. Mark drove my parents(my dad has a hard time seeing the roads at night) and I drove our car. When we hit Parleys Canyon there was salt etc flying up onto my windshield so bad that I couldn't see except for a small portion in the bottom left corner and even then I could only see a few feet in front of me. Our washer fluid hasn't worked in years and we can't fix it. It was a bit scary. Nothing happened, we were safe. We got home after midnight, but it was a ton of fun.

Emmett was walking by Christmas Eve and is all over the place. He thinks he is all that in a bag of chips! Chase is fully potty trained(day time) and does awesome! I'm so proud of him!
Hope your Christmas was just as awesome as mine! Happy New Year and I hope this year gets even better than last!