Christmas Eve Day

It was a beautiful Christmas Eve day with family. We started out by walking to the park near the Sherman's house. The girls loved swinging and the boys played basketball and then"survivor." They were so busy building their survivor area and were very serious about it. Grandma brought yummy sweet rolls to the park for a treat. After walking back we went to grandpa and grandma's house where the kids found new basketball hoops in the driveway. They were very excited!! They also found the family roomed filled with presents and goodies. Grandma knows how to make the kids feel special! We opened gifts, ate a late lunch, and enjoyed the afternoon. The cousins all had a wonderful time playing together and enjoying new toys. We all headed out to Christmas Eve church to end our evening together.

Happy Birthday LUKEY JAMES!!!

We celebrated Luke's birthday a bit early. We went SIMPLE this year and it was very "LUKE STYLE." He was very firm in saying that he wanted a party with "no girls and no parents." He had his three buddies, Ryan, Jacob, and Ethan and his cousin Ben over for a Toy Story Camping party. We set up a little tent, Luke made a campground sign, and we made everyone a little canteen out of paper plates. The boys ate pizza and just played together. I love these 4 boys together...they are so silly with a bit of mischief, but they have a great time together. Luckily the rain stopped so we had a little fire in the driveway for smores. They also ate their cupcakes by the fire. I just loved seeing the boys sit around the fire because this little group often reminds me of "little old men." I could see them all sitting around the fire one day when they are old and grey. We ended the night by watching toy Story 3. Ben got to spend the night in the tent with the boys. It was a very relaxing party and I loved seeing Luke's smile and hearing his laughter with his friends. He was truly comfortable at his party and that is what we want our little guy to be!! Happy 5th Birthday Buddy!

Christmas PJ Party

The DeJongs had some of the neighborhood kids over the other night for a PJ party. They had some cute crafts set up for the kids, reindeer food to make, popcorn and cookies to eat, and a favorite Christmas movie to watch. We did our annual game gift exchange and we ended up with a very fun Toy Story Yatzee game. The kids all love being with one another and we continue to love watching them all grow up together. Allie, Austin, and Alyssa are becoming the best of buddies and they are so CUTE together.

Monday morning Christmas hike

We took a little 2 mile hike Monday morning between rain storms. We love this little trail near our house and the kids got in some good exercise climbing all the hills. It's days like this that I am so glad that we finish Christmas shopping early. We were able to enjoy a beautiful morning outside together and not be in the business and traffic of the local stores.

Christmas with T.T. and Jesse

...but I don't have a picture with them :(...we celebrated Christmas a week early with TT and Jesse before they left for Nashville. We started the day visiting the older people that we visited last year. It was an alright visit that ended with a few emotions as we reflected on this past year. The people loved getting cookies and cards from the kids and the kids enjoy passing them out, so that's what matters. We spent the rest of the day at grandpa and grandma's house. It was a very relaxing day and for the first time in six years, we actually sat down and played games together. The kids all did great and even joined in some of the games. Christmas this year defiantly feels a little different after the year we just went through. We are trying to keep things very simple and just enjoy one another. Our day celebrating with TT and Jesse was just PERFECT!!

LOVE Celebrating with our Neighborhood Friends

Friday night we had our annual neighborhood "adult" Christmas party. WE hosted it at our house this year and did our usual cocktails and appetizers. We had a great night and it was full of laughter and good times with friends. WE played some flip cup, did a gift exchange, ate, and played another fun game that got a little crazy, but made for some great laughter. We just love our neighborhood and love having a night to just hang out with the adults!