get festive! do it again. now.

christmas eveeeeeee:)

christmas eve starts our long going tradition...Christmas with my dad's side of the family:) My aunt/god mother, Pam, goes all out and it seems that every year her house is even more festive than the last! These photos don't do it justice! It's ALL Christmas from the moment you pull in the drive. And I love it:)

homer sporting his 'festive' sweater:)

no shortage of Nikons at family events:):);)

what can I say...we're thattttt family;) We started participating in games over the last few years. This year the games were so much fun! I'll put it this way, my aunt started by saying the games were less 'sexual' this year in order to sell us on playing;) But we had so many laughs!

jacob and I were eliminated from the above game right away!!!:( We took on Courts and Dave in Round1 and should have known that was a bit too ambitious;) NEXT YEAR WE WILL OWN YOU!!!;)

and the kids had their own games and they loved them! Such great ones for them:)

and then there were presents!!!!!:)

mal, Courts and Neen:)

jacob surprised me with some new, amazing Victoria's Secret Pajamas! I love them:)

before santa...after santa:)

and then we got to play 'santa' for the first time. For our little boy! It was such a great feeling and I loved that we were starting a tradition that my parents have done for us for 29 years and that I've loved so much, for Homer:)

being santa and parents is exhausting;)

unfortunately, I had to work on Christmas morning/day:( I am still a bit sad about having missed Homer's first Christmas and just not being home that morning and being able to have breakfast together and open presents together as a family. These are things that I've always done with my parents and sisters and wanted to do with Homer and Jacob now too. 

so many coworkers suggested changing the tradition. Having Santa come a different night. Not celebrating till later in the day when I could be there...all very nice suggestions. But I don't plan on budging on this tradition. It's just too important to me. Next year I'll be there and it'll be exactly like I have always hoped:)

luckily, I was able to take a break at work and Face Time with Jacob and Homer:) It was amazing to get that little man to smile, even while I wasn't there:)

jacob is seriously the best though. He took photos and video of Homer on Christmas morning so that I wouldn't miss anything and that was perfect:)

i pieced together a couple clips from the video Jacob took and it just makes me chuckle:) My boys:)

christmas dayyyyyy:)

we also spend Christmas Day with the rest of our immediate family and then my mom's side:) A gathering we also very much look forward to:) We open some more gifts and have a great dinner:)

the kids all got some amazing gifts this year! Dinner music was provided by Austyn because of her new microphone, stand and speaker! I love that she is brave enough to sing to all of us! She's very talented:)

and Rowdy got some amazing fur boots from Aunt Pigg!!! 

nash and Homer playing!! This photo still makes me chuckle! Shortly after the front wheel fell off and we almost had ourselves a freak out;)

say whattttt?!?! More wine:)

somewhere in all that I managed to make some miniature apple pies! Impressed?! I thought so;)

so many people are glad when the Holidays are over but I always feel like they go way too fast and I can't wait till they roll around again:)