Christmas 2014

Another year is in the books.  It hardly seems possible that it's 2015! We had a great time celebrating Christmas with our families.  On Christmas Eve day, we got together with the Reitzes and had our traditional giant hoagie. 15 feet this year! It was utter chaos with 15 kids there, so I really didn't get any good pictures.  I managed to snap one picture before we tore into the sub, and that's all I got. Ha! But it was very tasty, and the cousins had a blast playing together after they finished eating. 

On the evening of Christmas Eve, we went to our church's candlelight service, and my parents came with us.  It was a such a neat service, and it was packed! I was a little worried about how the kids would do, since there was no child care, but they all did well! During the service, the pastor asked for the 4 and 5 year olds to come up front to help retell the Christmas story.  Collette was one of the first kids to take the stage! Ha! The kids were all given parts to play, and Collette was chosen to be a sheep. :)  She did very well as a sheep, even though she said afterwords, "I really wanted to be Mary and have the baby." Lol! 

The kids acting out the story:

Our little sheep (on the far left):

Daddy and his boys. Trey really wanted to hold a lit candle all by himself in the worst way.  Um, no way on earth, little man! He did help me hold my candle and blew it out about four different times. :) 

We came home and exchanged presents with my parents. 

Collette was thrilled with her Imagination Magnets.  She has played with them every day! They are a great toy!

We got crafty and used the kids' hand prints to make potholder snowmen and Christmas trees for the grandparents.  Elliott was less than enthusiastic about having his chubby little hand painted and pressed on so many different things. :)

 

Christmas morning we spent at home.  Ever since Collette was a baby, we've been able to spend Christmas morning at our house, and we have really cherished having time to spend with our little family, and not have to travel anywhere. 

Collette with her "big" gift-- much requested Elsa and Anna dolls!

Trey with his "big" gift-- a remote control tractor!

Elliott got a ball :)

  

A combine pillow pet!

Our best effort at a picture of all 3 kids on Christmas morning:

Making our Christmas morning beignets.  It wouldn't be Christmas breakfast without them! :)

We spent Christmas afternoon with the Reitz clan.  The cousins all had a blast playing together!

Anxiously awaiting the present opening..

  

Collette and her matching outfit for her Bitty Baby

Gifts from Gram and Pap! An American Girl doll for Collette ( the Samantha doll), 

   

and a ride-on combine for Trey and Elliott! 

Christmas evening, I realized I didn't get any pictures of Elliott by himself on his first Christmas. So we had a mini-photo shoot.  Here are a couple of my favorites. 

I spent Christmas evening snuggling with this sweet baby after everyone else went to bed.  So sweet.

Our family, Christmas 2014!

Our Christmases through the years... since we moved to PA and had Collette. :)

  

And I had to include the Christmas kids!