Early Christmas...shhhhhhh

When we realized Chad had to work on Christmas, we were all kind of bummed and decided to do our christmas on the day after. Thats what we told the kids and we talked about it alot and prepared them and wrote to Santa and asked him to come later. But then Chad and I got thinking....what if we surprised them and did it early and asked Santa to come early? It would lighten his load on Christmas, right?!

So we set the secret plan in action. We told them we were doing all of our Christmas Eve traditions early so dad could be there. Little did they know that Santa agreed to come that night! 

We decorated cookies, played games, and had our typical fondue dinner. 

We even let them open their PJ's and an extra surprise!

They all got Christmas minkys!

We usually do a game gift on christmas eve too and this year it was extra joy cons for the switch so everyone could play and a new game! Mario Kart!

They quickly grabbed their blankets and game and ran downstairs to play. They all had a great time!

We woke in the morning to a letter from SC himself telling the kids they had been extra good and he was bringing Christmas early! 

I always think that the christmas magic always illuminates the tree on Christmas Eve. It always looks peaceful, bright and brings a calming light into my home. Here is the calm before the crazy!!!!!

 The best part? since they don't know its an early christmas, we get to sleep INNNNNNNN!!!!! Maybe we will do this every year!

Winter recital

Jazz N It always has a winter recital and this year I talked them into showing off the tumbling class too since most the girls who come are also in another dance class that would be there anyway. I was SO proud of my tumbling class and showing off what they can do. They all have gotten so strong and I couldn't be prouder! I'm so glad they got to be included and show their parents that their hard work is paying off!

Of course I was very proud of my own girls! They are so cute and improving in their skills all the time! 

Christmas tree and pics

We decided it was finally time to buy a new Christmas tree. We were tired of our old one and it was breaking and getting dusty! We splurged for a beautiful one at Home Depot with new LED lights that Chad assured me would last for years. We brought it home, set it up and decorated it. It was beautiful and there were SO many lights! After about 3 days we noticed them dimming. Then we noticed full sections were out! WHAT?! So I undecorated the tree and we returned it. 

They let us exchange it for the same one so we took it home, set it up, redecorated it and here it is! 

It seriously is so pretty. I love all the lights. And i love that we didn't have to put them on or take them off. Here's to hoping they last 20 years!

I wanted to try to get a nice pic of us by the tree but man, this crew is sometimes impossible! Enjoy the bloopers as we try to get a nice pic!

Here we go....finally got one that'll do.

Merry Christmas from us!
 

Party #4: Soccer party

It's always fun to do this soccer party because the girls are SO excited!! We opted to do Waffles and PJ's for the theme and did crafts, games and of course the secret sister gift. Sadly there were some sick ones but we still made it work. Ashley Merkley graciously offered to help and I was so grateful for her help! These girls pounded waffles like nothing!

I taught them chair soccer and it was a hit!

This is Santa's sleigh ride relay. It was a hoot!

And the antler game. 

It's always fun to watch their faces light up as they open their gifts of things they love. 

There was a special gift given for Macie since they are moving to CA after christmas! We will sure miss them. 

Cute girls and amazing players!

Macie hug!

Ashley helped them paint ornaments and they turned out so cute!

Merry Christmas girls! 

Whoo! I made it through 4 parties in 4 days!

Party #3: CHRISTmas with friends

My good friend, Emily Maughan, suggested at Christmas time that we get some families together and do a progressive dinner and each person would be assigned a name of Christ and would get a chance to discuss what it meant. 

It was such a special night. To hear 20+ testimonies of Christ in 1 night from our friends.

We started at the Maughan's house with an appetizer of chips and dips. They all shared their names of christ. My favorite was the one Emily Shared. It was "I AM." I've heard that name often but not really understood it. She explained that it means that I am __________ (you fill in the blank) meaning He is anything and everything we want or need him to be. I am your friend, I am you confidant, I am your savior....the options are infinite and endless. 

Next was dinner at our house. We served pasta and garlic bread. I was very proud of each of my kids as they stood and shared their name of Christ. Our names assigned were Counselor, Rock, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Only Begotten & Wonderful. 

Next, was dessert at the Farris home! We all enjoyed cookies and cocoa as we heard more testimonies of the Savior. this was such a special night and I hope to do it again!

I'm so grateful for these 2 ladies and our friendship over the last 10 years. God knew I needed them in my life and that our kids would need eachother. Thank you for the beautiful gift of a Christ centered holiday!