New Traditions

On Dec 23 we kept with our annual tradition of celebrating Elizabeth's birthday with a sleepover for the kids under the Christmas tree.  This year Riley really wanted to make a gingerbread house.  This was just one thing too many for me so Kate agreed to help them make them. 

 

 

It was a blast and Riley had so much fun making his.

 

We also ate dinner together and before Chad took me home I snapped this sweet picture of Liz and Carter snuggling in the beanbag chair.

 

 

Kate called us in the morning and we continued our Christmas Eve tradition of exchanging gifts.

 

 

Riley got Jake and the Neverland Pirates toys, Carter got castle blocks and cooking toys, Liz got a Merida doll and Zachary got these 3 bears from Brave.

 

 

It was really wiping me out to be up and about, so Chad took the boys to the grocery store and then in the afternoon, while we tried to get Carter to nap, Riley and Chad made Christmas cookies.  How cute are they in their aprons??

 

 

Riley kept sneaking sugar cookie dough....I see you!!

 

 

The cookies, while not exactly like my Grammy's were a very close second.  And my mom found Grammy's recipe, so we can make the real thing the next time.

 

 

We then headed over to Nana and Papa's for our new Christmas Eve tradition of going to their house.

 

Chad also took on the task of making sausage balls and they were so GOOD!  Also, a Grammy recipe that I started making each Christmas Eve about 7 years ago.

 

 

And finally, Chad took on the daunting task of making Grammy's tacos.  He did a top notch job.  We tried 2 types of tortillas and the Mission tortillas came out tasting so much like Grammy's that we were almost moved to tears.  I actually did cry to him that night telling him how much love he showed to me and my family by continuing on Grammy's traditions.  He definitely made the change to new traditions just a little easier for all of us.

 

 

Riley played "Santa" at our first ever Nana & Papa Christmas Eve.

 

 

Riley had wrapped a present just after Thanksgiving for me at Nana's.  It was a shell from a shall basket I bought at a vacation to Disneyland when I was 7.  Very sweet!

 

 

The boys got Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Power Towers and Riley got long sleeve shirts.  They also each got new PJ's.

 

 

Carter soon got bored of the present opening and wandered over to the Christmas village to play.  Took a lot of convincing to get him to come back and open presents.

 

 

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better start to a new Christmas Eve tradition.  Nana's and Papa's will be an awesome place to spend Christmas Eve for many many years to come.