Christmas 2013

We love Christmas at The Lis house. We have certain traditions we do every year such as Christmas light looking. This year we stopped for donuts and hot cocoa while we were out sight seeing.
   On the morning of Christmas Eve we woke up and the kids helped me bake cookies and other goodies and we spent the day watching Christmas movies together. That evening we went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at our church, which is probably our favorite tradition, it makes Christmas real for us. When we got home we opened our Christmas Eve box which includes new pajamas for everyone, a new Christmas movie and book and new hot cocoa mugs.

 We then enjoyed dinner and our new movie. James read Twas' The Night Before Christmas before we went off to bed (another favorite tradition!).

Our den on Christmas Eve, aka the calm before the storm.

The kids always sleep in our room on Christmas Eve and even though they are older they still want to and we let them! On Christmas morning we woke up and dove into our stockings.

We took a break for breakfast, this year it was a cinnamon roll Christmas tree.

Then the present opening began...

Legos

a giant Clone Trooper from PawPaw Roland to go with his giant Darth Vader

                                             

It was another year of Imaginext for James Henry

more Legos

3DS game

more Imaginext

her big gift this year...a Kindle Fire HD

from GG and Papa John

Christopher's big gift this year... a new red GI!

This is what the den looked like after Christmas happened....

We were so thankful to have both our dads here with us and to have another Christmas with my dad is such a blessing.

We spent the rest of the day eating Christmas dinner, making new memories and playing with our new toys.

building airplanes with PawPaw Roland

We had a wonderful Christmas, we are spoiled and blessed. I read a quote that said, "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas when you stop opening presents and listen" That is so true for me, to look around and see my husband and children smile and hear their laughs, that to me is the greatest joy at Christmas and better than any material gift.