The Pictures that Keep Piling Up-Christmas Season Part 1

I don't know if I have ever said it out loud, but 5 children really has put me at my max. I mean I could have more, but I definitely wouldn't have time to do some of the things I love. Right now blogging has taken a huge back seat. Anytime I get to a point where I think I can begin again life happens. A perfect example is last week everybody but me had the stomach flu staggered each day Monday-Saturday. Our sweet dog also got sick and we had to put her down. I may or may not have more on that later. I say I will and it never happens. I am just now sharing Christmas season pictures. Yep some are well over a month old. Then of course we head into February soon and the kids bdays. Fact: I don't get it all done. Some things don't get done and right now keeping up with my blog is one of them, but here is something for today and hopefully another one this week.


Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite days of the year. I love seeing the kid's eye sparkle with excitement. It is magical. The girl's really loved it this year. 

This year I didn't get to our traditional picture of them sitting at the tree looking at it. I kept trying to get to it, but instead I knew I had taken this one. It is perfect. Next year we will get back to our normal maybe....

Daphne began showing her wild side and had her first. Yes first urgent care trip that month. She had a nurse's maid elbow. Thankfully we were able to see the kid's former Dr. We love her and miss her so much, so it was so nice to see somebody familiar in the urgent care.

Annalise spent so much of December laying under the tree and trying to get everybody else to lay with her too. She loved just staring and watching the lights. Many nights after dinner she would plug in the tree and we would find her under there just relaxing. She also broke more ornaments this year than any of our other kids combined through the years. She just loved the tree and everything about it.

The older kids did a play at Church where they go on Wed. nights. They did so great and it was so fun to see them.

Finally for the first year after talking about it, I made all of our dresses for Christmas Eve. Lilliana picked out the fabric for her and there was enough left to make Annalise and Daphne a dress. I loved the blue on Daphne though so I made her one like my shirt. It just matched her eyes so well. I also made Annalise a coordinating one with some black. 

The Christmas Eve service was wonderful. We all always look forward to that. Then we came home and did our normal tradition things. I made lots of food. The kids opened their two gifts on Christmas Eve, pajamas I had made and a book. They knew what it was by this point. I can't fool the older kids anymore no matter how much I try to keep sewing hidden during Christmas time. 

The pajamas ended with probably half an hour of silliness and poses. I would put all of them here but it added up way too quickly so you can get a snapshot of the crazy that occurred. It was really cute though.

Then they opened their books. This is always some of my favorites. I put a lot of time into finding the perfect book for each one. I can't wait as they get older and begin more chapter books. This year I chose handicraft books for the older kids and a couple classics for the little girls. The boys have been into making swords and shields. So they got Duct tape books for medieval warfare. Consequently I now find tape and cardboard everywhere, but they love it. Lilliana got a sewing book. She and I have been going through it together since she is still learning to read.

I also put on my pajamas I made. The kids laughed hysterically at them. Eli calls them my santa gnome pox pajamas. They are silly, but I still love them!! Of course that meant we needed our annual picture with mom and the pjs.

The rest of the evening was them being wound up and crazy which is pretty typical of Christmas Eve.

Hopefully I will get Christmas done this week!