A Brown Christmas

Tuesday evening my Dad's family got together at Jodi and Michael's house. What a fun evening! We all got there about 6PM, and the adults enjoyed catching up over appetizers. The kids were downstairs playing; Lily had fun coloring. Mia was fascinated by the stairs in their house. We have stairs down to our basement, but that's behind a locked door, so she doesn't get to see them very often. As soon as the door would open and she would see the stairs (which was pretty often), she would take off running towards them. Luckily, there were lots of people around who helped us keep an eye on her.

About 7, we ate dinner, and it was fantastic. Fried chicken, turkey and ham were the main dishes and there were tons of side dishes that were all wonderful. My family is filled with awesome cooks! About 8 we headed downstairs. Jodi started out by reading Room For A Little One to the kids; it was a very sweet story. While she was reading, Mia decided she had enough for the day (we were well past bedtime by this point), so Ryan got her pack and play out and put her to bed; she fell right asleep. While he was doing that, we continued downstairs with the tradition of reading the Christmas story. This year, Sophie read it and did a great job. Here's a picture of her sitting in Jodi's lap while she read it.

After reading this, Reed led us in singing several Christmas songs which was fun. Then Meme shared a few words about thankful she is and how special Christmas is. I always love listening to her because she has such a deep understanding of the Bible, and I know she always speaks from her heart. When she finished speaking, it was time for presents. I don't think the kids could have waited much longer! Look how excited Lily was!
Lily was thrilled with her new presents...a Snow White mirror set, healthy food sets for her kitchen and a toy texting phone. She was also excited to help open Mia's gifts...a Little People zoo train, a shape-teaching bug and a talking tea set. It was lots of fun watching all the kids as they were so happy with their great new gifts. Here's a few pictures of Lily opening her and Mia's gifts.

Once the kids opened their gifts, all the adults opened their gifts from Meme, and then we played a White Elephant game which was tons of fun. I ended up with a neat lap desk, and Ryan received a Falcons Tervis Tumbler. We all had a great time stealing and teasing one another. It was a late night (we got home close to 11:30), but it was a great time!

We always have a wonderful time when our family gets together. We are so thankful for each and every one of them. What a wonderful Christmas celebration!