christmas eve

the last few years we have let the kids open their gifts to each other on christmas eve.
this year they gave each other ninjago legos, they are so into them right now.
while chris and i were cooking for brunch the next day, they were building.
it was great.  they had so much fun putting them together and we got our stuff done.

i didn't know how we'd get it all done...
all the cooking, then cleaning up the kitchen, feeding the kids, getting the luminaries ready, ironing shirts, curling two heads of hair, keeping the house clean and tidy, and getting to mass not only on time but early (the list could really keep going!).

but somehow we did.
chris helped so much with it all, i couldn't have gotten it all done without him.
and in fact, we were early enough to mass that we sat in the second row...

usually we're in one of the last rows of the hall.
it was so wonderful to be up close with all of our good friends surrounding us.
here are the kids with john's godfather (below).
we were so happy to have mark and lori's sweet family behind us.

it was one of the most beautiful masses i have ever been to.
the singing, the homily, the community...it was all so wonderful.
we wished some of our family had been there to share in it with us.
but were thrilled we had so many friends there...

then it was back home to light (or rather turn on- love the battery candles!) the luminaries.
i wish i would've gotten a picture of our street, it looked so beautiful.
we whipped up the guacamole and gathered the gifts to take to grandma & grandpa's.

the kids always have a great time seeing cousins they don't get to see too often.
and the food is always fabulous thanks to my mother-in-law.
too bad i didn't get more pictures of the entire extended family...maybe next year.