Christmas Vacation

We started with a couple of days of just some fun family time before the celebrations began.  That is when we did some of our serious baking.  We had a long weekend before Christmas Eve and just enjoyed getting ready to celebrate and counting down the days till Christmas.  The day before Christmas Eve we celebrated in Coweta with gifts and pizza.  It was super relaxing and fun.  The weather even allowed us to take pictures outside without our coats on.  The kids got fun remote control cars that they raced around the house.  On Christmas Eve, Mom’s family came over for dinner.  We enjoyed a big yummy meal and opened gifts with extended family.  The kids got a special gift that Papa would have wanted them to have as he loved Christmas so much.  It was really sweet to see their reactions and their eyes really did light up like he would have wanted.  They got fancy sleeping bags and a special toy to enjoy.  There were way too many other fun presents and it seems like the kids kept opening and opening!  It was so much fun!   

Trying to sneak a pic of all three "Gallimore" kiddos

That night when our guests had left we settled down for bed and read Twas the Night Before Christmas (a family tradition).  The kids put out cookies for Santa, tiny cookies for the elves and water for the reindeer.  So thoughtful!

We kept our Christmas Day to just the four of us so we could soak up each moment and not feel rushed.  It was such a great day!  The kids woke up ready to open and we convinced them to hang back until at least 7, maybe even 7:30.  Mom stuck the pullapart bread in the oven to bake and we went to see what Santa brought us.  Ben was pleased with Star Wars Legos, video games and other wish list items.  Elizabeth was excited about Doc McStuffins and her Barbie set with puppies.  The unexpected surprise from Santa of a Barbie microphone was the star of the day.  Or actually it made her become the star of the day.  We enjoyed lounging around most of the day and just playing.  We packed that evening to head to Kansas, but that was the most work we did all day.

We headed to Kansas for a few days on the 26^th.  The kids were eager to show off a few of their new toys, but they were so excited as they knew that more were coming.  They waited patiently until cousin Brynna arrived and we settled on opening gifts the next morning.  The kids enjoyed more treats from Santa as he left them a stocking full of fun in Kansas as well.  They were thrilled to open more family gifts and played the rest of the day with all of their new things.  In addition to their new things, they enjoyed a lot of play time in the basement with the ping pong table, kitchen, pool table, mini trampoline and lots of puzzles and games.  It was nice to be together.