christmas 2011

our traditional christmas nativity with bryce's side of the family.

this year emaline was a wiseman and ava was an angel.

the nativity is always all over the place, especially with the kids acting out the parts but it's what i love most about it and find so endearing. the best part of this year's nativity was the family singing silent night and sounding like a beautiful chorus. that, and the children raising the baby jesus up lion king style at the end of the christmas story.

. . . . . .

christmas morning, we were up before our girls were. ava came in 15 minutes later, while emaline continued to snooze on. we let her sleep an extra 10 minutes and then went in and woke her up. we let adele keep sleeping though, no one likes a grumpy christmas baby.

i can't even imagine christmas without my sweet little family, i love being with them and seeing the joy and excitement on their faces. and emaline especially was hamming it up... it was perfect.

i loved the pictures that ava had drawn and wrapped weeks previously all on her own for each one of us.

but mostly, i loved the gift she picked out all on her own with daddy specifically for me. a brand new can opener. i seriously teared up when i opened it... sure it wasn't something expensive or elaborate but it was something that i had casually mentioned to myself while i was in the kitchen one day which she remembered and wanted to get me.

she heard me.

i can't think of a better gift she could've gotten me.

it was a great christmas.

i hope yours was, too.