Christmas

Christmas Eve

We were in Omaha for Christmas this year, and spent Christmas Eve at my parents' house with my two older brothers and their families. We arrived late afternoon for some appetizers and games, followed by way too much food for dinner. I think that my favorite part of dinner was the traditional 'slush' that my mom made. My grandma Durrant use to make slush for Christmas dinners, and it is definitely a Holiday tradition.

After dinner, it was time for the kids to dress up for the Christmas Nativity program. Makenna was beyond excited, because she was able to dress up as Mary, or "Mary Fair" as she liked to say. She has been talking about dressing up as Mary for weeks. Hudson dressed up as one of the Wise Men.
My dad read the story of the Savior's birth from Luke 2, and the kids 'acted out' their parts. Hudson was very excited to give a present to baby Jesus.
Makenna had her 'baby Jesus' with her all night long. She made a very sweet Mary.
After the story and nativity program, it was time for presents. Of course this portion of the night was a little chaotic, but that is what makes it fun! My mom made matching nightgowns for the girls, which they were happy to model.

For dessert we had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and the kids got to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. They really enjoyed this, and it was another great reminder for them about why we celebrate Christmas. By the time we loaded up the car to head home, we were all full, happy, and feeling very blessed to have been able to celebrate Christmas with family.

Christmas Morning
Makenna was so excited on Christmas morning to go downstairs and see if Santa had come. She immediately noticed the fireplace screen which Santa had forgotten to put back on. She also checked to see if there were any cookies or milk left. She was happy to find that Santa had helped himself. After that, she made her way over to her stocking, and discovered the Dorthy doll and Wizard of Oz movie that Santa had left for her. She is very into the Wizard of Oz right now, and had asked Santa to bring her some Wizard of Oz stuff. She has also decided that she is going to be Dorthy for Halloween next year.


Hudson was very excited to see his new car ramp, and has been playing with it almost non-stop since Christmas.

After looking thru our stockings, and having Makenna help each one of us pull everything out, we moved on to a few presents under the tree. Makenna was more than willing to help anyone and everyone to open their presents, and luckily none of us minded :)

It is such a joy to celebrate and share the joys and wonders of Christmas with Makenna and Hudson. They bring so much fun and excitement into our home, and it is a pleasure to celebrate Christmas with them!