Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was great again this year.  Bryan's parents were in town, so we were happy to have them over for dinner and the evening's festivities.  We had the usual soup-in-a-bun for dinner, along with the jello, and the kids got to open their presents from each other afterward.  This is always a highlight (the first gifts of Christmas!), and this year we decided to draw names instead of go dollar store shopping for each person.  It worked out great, and I'm not going to miss those trips to the dollar store!  Bryan and I also gave the kids presents from us, and the kids gave us their homemade gifts from school.  Ruby's card was hilarious!  It said, "Happy Holidays.  Love Ruby.  I love you.  You are the best mom and dad.  When can we have crepes?" Haha!!  It dawned on Tyler (a little too late!) that since leaving elementary school, he's on his own for getting/making gifts for his parents!  Spencer has long given up on even attempting.  Anyway, this year we got the kids some magic milk flavoring straws, which they loved, and tickets to some fun upcoming events.  The girls got front row tickets to see Disney Live, which is a musical play of three fairy tales. They were really excited!  And so was I, since I bought the tickets last June! I also made the girls some big, giant hair bows.  They were evidently shocked that I could make such a thing, as can be see from the gasping looks on their faces.  Funny!  The boys got a Josh Turner CD, which was just to prepare them for their tickets to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, featuring a concert by Josh Turner.  I think they'll love it!  After the presents were opened, they had one more box to open - sent straight from the North Pole.  As expected, it was pajamas from Santa.  Always exciting! We set out Santa's cookies, threw out the reindeer food, and read the Christmas story from the Bible and Twas the Night Before Christmas.  The kids were all bunking up in the boys room this year, so they headed on up to try and get some sleep.  It's always so hard to sleep on Christmas Eve!!