Christmas 2014

I can't believe Christmas is over, and that it's already 2015! Since we don't live near family, we did Christmas with Erik's family the weekend before Christmas and with my family the weekend after, so for Christmas Eve and Christmas day we were home. It's really nice to be able to extend Christmas for an entire week, I have to say. :)

I really wanted to try and teach the kids about giving joyfully to others this holiday season, so earlier in the month of December we helped the three older kids come up with some gifts they could make for each other. They all made Luke and Max some homemade bouncy balls(which in all honesty ended up not bouncing, and looking more like pancakes, but hey, it's the thought that counts right?!) 

Then we sent Anna back to Erik and I's room, and Lily and Jack(with my help) made Anna some lip gloss and a snow globe. Then later Anna and Jack made Lily the same snow globe and one of these yarn dolls. Erik took on the job of helping Lily and Anna make Jack something, and they ended making him this really cool foosball table.

And, yes, in case you were wondering, I did wonder why I did this to myself. But the kids had so much fun, and were excited to give something to their brothers and sisters, so it was worth it(I think, anyways.) ;)

We also started a new tradition of passing out cookies to the neighbors, librarians, and bank workers. The kids also suggested giving them out to the grocery store clerks at Aldi, but we had already made everything, so hopefully next year we can do that too.

Christmas Eve night we read the Christmas story out of the Jesus Storybook Bible, looked at Christmas lights, and finished off the night by watching a Christmas movie. 

We had a pretty relaxing Christmas morning, opening presents, snacking on cinnamon rolls, and face timing my mom and dad who had sent the kids an xbox infinity to open up on Christmas morning.

So the kids got to enjoy playing that most of Christmas day, and in between turns the girls played with their "new" doll house that a friend had given us, and playing their new princess dresses.

Poor Luke had a fever on Christmas day, so he spent most of the day being held. But he did have a few moments of enjoying his and Max's trains and track set they both got.

How was everyone else's Christmas?! 

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Linked to the Modest Mom.