Christmas Vacation -- Part One

Featuring the build up to the big day.  This year I was happy to have a few days leading up to Christmas with the kids already out of school.  With Christmas day on a Wednesday this year, there just seemed to be a lot more time available for increasing our holiday cheer.  Haha.  And since Scott had not really used up ANY of his vacation days prior to the holiday season, he decided to really kick Christmas vacation up a notch by taking a full two weeks off.  Best Christmas present ever!  :)

In the days before Christmas, we managed to fit in most of our holiday traditions and I was even able to squeeze in a few extra projects as well.  Because nothing says merry Christmas Eve like finally finishing the painting of a desk that has been sitting in our garage for the past 2 months and then some!  Hahaha. 

Painting in the kitchen on Christmas Eve.

Grace's desk take two.  If you'll recall, one of her Christmas gifts LAST year was a new {to her} desk that I had found at a thrift store and revamped and repainted a pale pink color.  While we both liked the pink color in and of itself, something about the combo of the Ballet Slipper pink paired with the Bird's Egg blue of the walls in her new room didn't really work. 

So, I stripped off all the paint {we're talking at least 3 or 4 layers worth!}, stained and waxed the top and then painted the bottom the same white as her dresser and other furniture in the room.  {The top has been finished for months, I just had never gotten around to painting the bottom.} The chair is another St. Vincent de Paul thrift store gem.  I found it several months ago and spruced it up by recovering the cushion with some fabric I had leftover from some of the blocks in Grace's baptism quilt.  And voila!

{Alex chose Lucky Charms for his Christmas cereal this year.  He REALLY liked the marshmallows.  And I'm pretty sure his box was gone in about a day.}

Jane holding the shrinky dink ornament she got from her Primary teacher at church.

Isn't that so cute?  Jane LOVED watching it shrinky dink it up in the oven.  :)

Christmas Eve was quite the busy day as we also decorated our annual gingerbread house and got OUR house ready for the company we had invited over to share our traditional Christmas Gumbo and join us in our nativity pageant.

I made the mistake of telling Ethan he was "in charge" of this activity. 

So much sugar consumed...

Sleepy little puppy has not been falling asleep for naps while the kids are home from school.  

Look at that concentration...

 The "haunted" side of the Gingerbread house.  Courtesy of Grace and Sophie.

 
The kids were super excited for the big day, but managed to get their acts together and get themselves in bed and asleep in a very timely manner at the end of Christmas Eve.  It makes Christmas morning SO much better when they've actually gotten a good night's sleep!  We went with Secret Santa for the stockings again this year, and I think the kids were pretty happy with the results.  I always find it hilarious to see what the kids pick out for each other -- Grace is notorious for choosing things that she really wants, Sophie has an anything goes philosophy, and Ethan just wants to get his shopping over with as quickly as possible.

 In keeping with tradition, all non-Santa gifts were exchanged on Christmas Eve.  This is the gift I made for Scott this year.  I printed out a picture I took back in the fall and wrote the lyrics on top to one of my favorite songs that make me think of Scott. {From "The Light" by Sara Bareilles}

Post-Santa's visit.

Look at all those cute little faces!  So happy and excited.   :)

Grace had Alex's name...

Sophie had Jane's...

"Jane" had Sophie's...

"Alex" had Ethan's...

 

and Ethan had Grace's.

All the loot from Santa.  Plus a couple of presents that Ethan bought for the girls.

Jane with her 3 gifts.

{Lalaloopsy dress, 3D cardboard castle, Mercy Watson books}

Alex with his 3 gifts.

{Little People superheroes, Magna Doodle, board books}

Grace {wearing her "Lucky Charms"} with her 3 gifts.

{Earring making kit, Paper Twirling klutz set, Diary of a Wimpy Kid book set}

Sophie with her 3 gifts.

{Princess dress, Lego Friends set, Clementine books}

Ethan with his 3 gifts.

{Speed stacks, Dollar Origami book, The Secret Series}

As a whole I was rather impressed with the unfolding of Christmas morning this year!  Everyone posed patiently on the steps for our annual kid shot before opening presents, no one was up SUPER early, and everyone was totally fine with taking turns as they opened their gifts one at a time, one after the other while I tried to snap pictures of everything.  AND -- in the end -- they were all very appreciative of what they got.  Always a nice thing to witness.  

Ethan's loot...

Grace's...

Sophie's...

Jane's...

and Alex's.

{A stocking stuffer I slipped in for Sophie -- some brand new earrings -- as token to let her know

that she could get her ears pierced over Christmas vacation.  She was VERY excited!}

Some Christmas morning fun:

 

Eating leftover Gumbo for breakfast.  Featuring her brand-new "donut bun" that was in her stocking from Jane.

Fun fact -- Scott and Sophie eat exactly the same way.  It is hiLARious.  You'll just have to trust me.  Every time I look over at the two of them munching along in exactly the same manner it slays me.  Hahaha.

I knew Ethan would enjoy this present.  He spent the majority of his vacation stacking.

 Modeling her princess dress and the lipstick that was in her stocking.

 I found Grace inside Jane's castle working in one of her Diary of a Wimpy Kid activity books.  {That giant Beanie Ballz is the gift Ethan gave her.}

Some more of Grace's stocking stuffers courtesy of Ethan.

And that was that.  The kids were more than excited to hit the road a few short hours later and head on over to Indiana to stay for the week at the cousins.  Stay tuned for Part Two of our Christmas vacation...