Just a good little handful of photos from our Christmas Eve/Christmas Day festivities.
Oliver and Hazel invited Bea to come over and decorate Christmas cookies while her little brothers napped on Christmas Eve. Um, that didn’t last long. Everybody wanted to eat the icing, sprinkles and cookies and not a lot of progress was made by these three.
But fun? Yes, lots of fun!
And certainly some fun memories – even if just for us adults keeping the crazy at bay.
The sister-cousins wore matching shirts. Since they don’t have sisters, this is how we like to roll when possible.
I do have a sister! And this is how she likes to roll – in the kitchen enjoying a Christmas cookie while the kids do their thing. Smart girl.
Christmas morning was lovely and quiet and magical as our little family of four. A reading of the Christmas Story, and a few wonderful gifts for each of us before we got cleaned up and ready for church.
(Hazel thought that leaning into the Christmas Tree for every picture would be cute. This is Oliver’s best. Hm.)
We tried one last time before they headed out the door (I stayed home sick). Sadface.
At least this photo worked out a little better. Isn’t Hazey’s dress pretty and Christmassy?
Thirty minutes after they left they were back. Turns out there was no nursery on Christmas Sunday and wrangling two children as one man for a lengthy church service was not going well. This too shall pass.
By noon it was time to head to my Mom’s for Christmas dinner and festivities with the family.
And yes, that included Rowan. Amen. (When Caleb carries him around we call Row his “American Boy Doll” because they look and dress so much alike.)
Oliver got a new bow tie from Auntie & Uncle and he feels awesome about it.
I failed to photograph the rest of the gift opening, the meal and the general merriment. Well actually, I didn’t fail. I left my camera alone in favor of being present with the group. I’m glad I did.
But, just before we opened gifts (and before the youngest four disappeared for naps) we lined them all up on the hearth to take a photo of the grandkids that we expect we will be so glad to have.
Of course, it wasn’t going to be perfect.
Classy, Hazel. Real classy.(Also, Bea was crying because she didn’t want to sit by Moses who had a stinky diaper and she did want to sit by Oliver who was our other bookend. Oh, the drama.)
Will everyone just please sit down?
Better. But it wasn’t until this moment that we realized we needed Rowan, too!
And there he is. Except now Hazel and Moses are awesome-waving to someone and Oliver has lost the ability to produce a regular smile.
Now the efforts to get Rowan’s attention have backfired because the boys are now also entertained in the wrong direction. Also, Oliver.
Oh, man. We’re losing them.
Better. Gus is serious business now in his blue socks and Hazel is thrilled to be sitting next to her Rowie Dowie.
Aaaand… this is the best we could get. And with that…
And now, we are happily perched in our favorite Michigan nest, enjoying a bit of snow with Granddad and Groovy, and…
introducing Oliver (and me!) to his very first viewing of Star Wars (we decided to start him with Episode IV – thanks for your input!). It was his dream come true!
And now, I’ll close this rambly Christmas post with a video of Hazel last night before bed – chatting with Mommy and Groovy at the kitchen counter. Cheers!
2nd pic: i thought that bea had some hormonal issue when i saw ryans arm in there. i had been thinking it was just you and the kids and that hair alarmed me. love the photo attempt montage and your cappies. i also got bambozzled with an ambush no-childcare on christmas eve while alone with the kids at church while jesse sang. and a 30 minute drive. i was miss grinch stuck in the back room with stir crazy up-too-late kids. yay for ryan for surrendering. after our service, so many people said, “jesse has never sang better!” awesome. i heard not a note. well, this has been an uplifting comment here for you. alls i’m saying is ryan and i are twins again. and i love your heart. i am always saying that. oh geez. dukes out.
I was just waiting for a hairy arm comment from Keight. That girl doesn’t disappoint! Love the pics, so glad you all had a merry Christmas!
SO so so so glad you had a wonderful Christmas! But sorry you were sick :/
I love the pictures of the cousins on the fireplace…the hilarious thing is that those pictures don’t get easier as they get older….my cousins range from 3 1/2 years old to 22…and getting a decent group picture was impossible this year!!!
My four year old son was looking at your pics over my shoulder. His response to the one with the tree, “Oooh, who’s that handsome guy?” Oliver. “And who’s that pretty girl?” He wants to take a picture of their picture with his camera in the morning. :) I thought it was sweet.