Christmas Vacay - Christmas Day

This is the first time that we have spent Christmas Day with just our little family.  It was very bittersweet.  While it was wonderful to sleep in our own beds, and kind of move at our own pace throughout the day, it was definitely sad to not be with any family.

The kids actually slept in till 7:30 on Christmas morning, which was nothing short of a miracle.  Miley has regularly been waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 for quite some time now, so we definitely appreciated her sleeping in on Christmas morning (she actually did it through much of the break, which was strange, but wonderful!).  I actually was awake at about 6:30 wondering when kids would wake up, and finally at about 7:15 I figured I would get up and put some makeup on (for all those Christmas pictures, ya know) and go downstairs to read until the rest of the clan woke up.  But as soon as Miley heard me leave my room she jumped up and the fun began.

The kids were thrilled with their stockings and their presents from Santa.  After they played with those for a while, we sat down for a breakfast of monkey bread and scrambled eggs.  After that, Miley couldn't contain her excitement anymore and was dying to open gifts from the family.

Everyone was so generous this year, and we all received wonderful gifts!  The kids truly wanted to open each thing, take it out of the box, and play with it before moving on to the next.  They got lots of fun books, toys, and clothes and loved all of it.  Miley loved trying to help everyone open their presents, so she probably did about 75% of the unwrapping, but Landon got really into it as well.

Once again, major picture overload here....but I narrowed it down as much as I could!

For Cameron's big gift this year, I got him a North Face jacket, which he has been loving.  For my big gift, Cameron got me my first iPhone!  I was so surprised.  I had put in on my list as kind of a joke (I mean, I really did want one and have been wanting one for a while), but did not think in a million years I would be getting one, because we had decided that a smart phone for me was a big "WANT" and definitely not a "NEED."  The pictures below show my surprise pretty well.  :)

For the rest of the day, we just relaxed and spent time playing with all of our new things and just enjoying each other.  Cameron and I managed to pull off our first real, solo turkey dinner, and it turned out pretty well.  It was a wonderful day, and it was so much fun to enjoy it with our little family.

Christmas Vacay - Christmas Eve

*Warning -Picture Overload Ahead!!!*

(But seriously, how do you narrow it down???)

Christmas Eve Day was very low key this year, which was great.  We had a very busy week the week before, so it was nice to know we had some time ahead of us to just kick back and relax.  Normally on Christmas Eve, I am doing a lot of running around and getting last minute things, but I was pretty well prepared ahead of time this year, and didn't have to go anywhere!

This is the first year that we have not been in Wyoming for Christmas.  It was nice to not have to deal with the traveling this year, but also sad to not have family to spend it with.  Thankfully, our good friends, the Timothys, invited us over for Christmas Eve dinner.  My kids absolutely adore their kids, and Cameron and I always love hanging out with Doug and Darci, so we knew it was going to be a great time.

Darci outdid herself with a dinner of beef brisket, mashed potatoes, asparagus, fruit, and yummy drinks.  I brought a salad and dessert, and I felt like I would need to be rolled out of there by the end of the night!

After dinner, Darci had a craft set up for the kids to do (seriously, how well prepared was she??).  They made Christmas trees out of paper cones and cupcake liners.  They were adorable, and Miley loved making hers.  After the craft, we acted out the nativity with the kids.  They were so cute in all of their costumes, and Miley wanted to do it about 10 times.  It was sweet to see our kids acting out the story, and really grasping the true meaning of Christmas.

After dinner, we dug into the dessert.  The kids seemed pretty excited about that part....

After dessert, we figured we all better get home and get kids to bed so Santa could come!  We had so  much fun with the Timothy's....it was so nice to have great friends to spend the evening with!

Once we got home, we opened a couple of presents.  We all opened our presents from Don and Cindy in India.  Our kids loved their authentic Indian outfits (just check out Miley's face!!!), and Cameron got a cool tie, and I got three pairs of really cool sandals that are going to be perfect for the summer!

After the presents from the India Clarks, we all opened up our traditional Christmas Eve pajamas.

The kids then set out some cookies and milk for Santa, and it was off to bed so he could come (which he most definitely did!).

Christmas Vacay - Dance Preview

This week has been packed full of activities, especially for Miley, and today was no exception.  At Miley's dance studio, there is only one big end-of-the-year recital, but before the Christmas break, they do a very casual performance for the parents of what they have learned up to that point.

It was so fun to have Cameron be able to come watch what I get to see every week.  I think it would be pretty accurate to say that dance class is THE highlight of Miley's week, and she was definitely excited to show off her moves.  I wasn't sure how she would be performing in front of a large group, but they had her right in the center front, and she did great!  Definitely no stage fright for that girl.  :)

Again, this is another one of those things where we feel so blessed to have such wonderful teachers.  These women are so patient with this group of 3 and 4 year old girls and always provide such a fun time for them.  Not to mention I have made a great new friend there whose daughter is in class with Miley.  Always makes it more fun to have a friend to sit through class with once a week.  We are already missing dance and can't wait for it to start again in January!