Christmas Eve

What a day we had on Christmas Eve.......definitely one for the record books! The day started out with a really awesome family bringing by a HUGE equipment bag full of baseball gear & a few other sports items....their teenage boys had outgrown them & thought our boys might be able to use it....uh YEAH!  Ella loved the pink batting gloves & bike helmet from their daughter.

Gingerbread Houses

So every year, we always make a gingerbread house....and we NEVER eat them, because by the time the holidays are over, we've eaten so many sweets, it just sounds gross.  So, since we don't eat them, I am not above buying them on clearance to save for the next year.......I got this Disney Princess Gingerbread Castle for only $1.30 after Christmas last year! Bargain!!!

Ella LOVED putting the pictures of the princess' on the castle.

Dad & Zach built the structure.........

But what fun is it making it just perfect like the picture? Nah....we go with the "use all the frosting in the kit" way of doing things!

The finished product..........hahaha.....

Our tree this year........the kids hanging their snowman ornaments from their advent calendar.

Giving to the Less Fortunate
So this year we did things quite different than years past. Our kids have always done a cousin gift exchange.......but this year we started a new tradition..& did away with the gift exchage.  Instead, we all brought items to put into comfort kits for the homeless.  We met at the FW stake center as a family & got to work.........

Not once this Christmas (or even since then) have I heard our kids complain about not getting a present from a cousin........they didn't miss it, & we all got so much out of helping others!

Organizing the chaos!

Zach took it seriously, making sure he got one of everything into each bag he packed.

There was so many things that we just take for granted......a pack of fruit snacks, a pack of crackers...

Everyone chipped in...

Socks, gloves, you name it - it was there!

I think we put together almost 45 kits! Yeah!!!

Connor working hard to keep up!

Kelly & Grandma organizing the kits.....

With Ella's short attention span, she was fascinated by the piano.........sweet of Aunt Mel to help her play a little!

We headed to Tacoma, and hauled out the boxes......they were heavy, but Zach just stepped up to carry one of them!

This is where we handed out the kits, to families who have fallen on hard times.  We went into the common area & the people began to file in.......all ages, very young, to old.  It was one of those moments that you had to hold your breath so you didn't cry....... We began with signing Christmas carols for them.  I almost lost it when Ella handed out a kit to a little girl her size.....

It was so neat to see the kids step up & start handing out bags. We adults stood back & let the kids take the lead...Zach started & the younger kids followed suit. When Taylor handed out the blankets, one of the ladies ripped off the wrap & wrapped it around her right away.  Another lady said, as we left - "anyone who doesn't want their pringles, I'll take 'em"

The adults...

The grand kids..........

All About the PJ's
When we finished handing out the care packages at the shelter, we headed back to Mel's for dinner. Blimpies Subs, salad, & munchies.... And as per tradition, the kids all got to open 1 present that night.....only the littlest haven't figured out that it's ALWAYS pajama's! :) Kaelynn, Brae, & Zach....

Ella tore through her paper fast!

Connor...lovin' the pj's!

All the cousin's (minus Megan, Britney, & Taylor) We love that Taner (Megan's husband) was such a good sport and put his pj's on!
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After jammies were on, the kids ran upstairs and sang Christmas carols to us down below......so cute!

It was a perfect Christmas Eve........I can't wait for next year, now that we have one care-package event under our belts, next year will be bigger and better!