Home for the Holidays

This year we decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas at home. We were lucky that lots of our family decided to come and celebrate with us! The entire weekend was wonderful!

We started out with the Christmas Eve service at our church. I LOVE our church, and I LOVED this service! Ending it with Bebo Norman's "Oh Great Light of the World" and a church full of candles couldn't have been a better way to get focused and remember the reason for the season, our Savior's birth. After church, Nan and Grandy arrived and we had a late cozy dinner of chicken and dumplings and blueberry crisp.

Then it was time to put on our Christmas PJ's, read a Christmas story, and snuggle in to dream of sugarplums. I love making traditions in our home like this!

Christmas morning arrived and a little elf in the next room awakened us at 7:00! I know this will be our Christmas morning wake up call for many years to come. We came in to the living room to find that Santas Grandy and Nan brought a new slide!

Mickey had to take a whirl at it to make sure it was safe for the Brinsters.

Then it was her turn!

After the thrill of the slide wore off we opened our stockings. Brinley got her beloved stuffed Elmo, the bathtub crayons with a boat, some new colors and coloring book, some tights (boring!) an Elmo magna doodle, necklaces, a puzzle, and bubble bath! She was so happy with all her gifts, especially the ones that started with an El and ended with a Mo. haha

Instead of buying gifts for each other, Rocky and I filled each other's stockings. It was really fun to pick out little things I thought he would enjoy....like slippers, salt and pepper chips, Reeses trees, legos, and an iPlunge to prop up his iPhone. :0)

And he did a great job filling mine- mittens, a cardigan, dark chocolate almonds, an iPhone running case, and my very own tacky Christmas sweater t-shirt with matching socks!

And you mustn't forget the mistletoe!

We spent the rest of the day in our jammies, watching Frosty and football, eating, napping, and enjoying one another's company. Oh, and there was lots more sliding!

The next day we went to church then had our Christmas celebration with Corey and April.

Brinley was a really good Santa and delivered the gifts to everyone from under the tree.

Rocky and Corey always get a toy to play with. It is usually mechanical in some way and this year was no different. A flying duck with a laser gun to shoot it with. Oh, those boys!

Brinley had lots of unwrapping to do, she was becoming quite a pro at it!

There's always lottery tickets, and this year there were lots of winners.

Aunt April was lots of fun to play with!

And Nan entertained in her usual way!

Soon after gifts, we bid farewell to Nan, Grandy (now known as Dee) Uncle Corey and Aunt April and said hello to Papa and Uncle David!

Papa and Bebe got Brinley a new Little People Zoo and some other fun stuff.

They spent the night with us and we had lots more fun. Papa has the perfect lap for reading books and snuggling.

And Uncle Baby is really good at playing too!

We had such a blessed Christmas this year and I am so grateful for our home, our family, and for Jesus! Hope yours was wonderful as well!