Our Christmas Eve 2012

I know. I know. Call me lazy.  I have been a lame blogger. BUT I have actually been quite busy working on a lot of projects. They just have not been on my computer.  I look forward to sharing them with you very soon.   However, as you know I share a lot about our Christmases here.  One year,  I even went back  and entered all our Christmas pasts since Will was born!

This year a friend asked if we go to church on Christmas Eve.  That is one of our traditions so I invited her to join us and she did.

So, we went to the children's mass and then we went to Fleming's Steak house for dinner.  That tradition varies back and forth between eating at home and going out.  If we go out (which Will prefers) we let the boys go all out and order whatever they want. Will talked all month about wanting a really good restaurant meal which is funny because we kind if eat out a lot. Will had a filet with a red wine reduction and madeira mushrooms and Harry had Alaskan King crab legs.  My boys LOVE good food and this night is a special treat for them.  They ate well.  Kate and I stuck to salads and sides and shared dessert.

After we got home, we cozy-ed up into our PJ's and read Twas the night before Christmas and the story of the birth of Jesus...

That Harry is such a clown!

Even Scout listens carefully to the stories...

After that, we let each of the peanuts open one gift.  I always but the boys a nutcracker and I get Kate an ornament (although she wants nutcrackers now too)...

Harry got to go first since he is the middle child (I was a middle child too;)





Harry is playing Lacrosse this year and I was able to track down a lacrosse nutcracker (albeit small).

Next was Kate's turn...






Kate fell in love with this ornament went we went to see the Nutcracker ballet.  She asked for it then but I said no as I had bought her a book.  I snuck and bought it for her as I was buying the book and tucked it away. She was thrilled and surprised.

Finally, Will had a turn.

 I searched for a swimmer or water polo nutcracker for him as he on on both teams at this high school.  However, I could not find them.  I saw this one though and knew he would love it.  And he did!  He told me it was one of his favorites of all time!


It is a cuckoo clock!



Next we hang our stocking...Harry was not feeling well so I think he went up to bed...








Finally, Kate had some reindeer food that Bagel sent to sprinkle on the front lawn...





Honestly, we were all so tired that I think we forgot to leave Santa a snack!  I am sure other people left enough food for him though...











Next post will be our Christmas Day.

I am so excited for 2013!!  I have some very exciting things on the horizon and I feel so hopeful.

I need to go check on Harry as he is upstairs really sick with a BAD migraine.  He clutches that holding cross  when he is in pain so another thank you to our "friend" who sent it.  And Will is on a date!  Sshh..he'll kill me if he knows I told y'all.

{And I know it upsets/bothers some of you when I apologize for my photos but oh well I am honest here.  These bother me.  I wish I could crop some and lighten some. I still don't have any editing software on my new computer and my laptop is still crashed so I could not brighten/lighten any of these.  I do not edit a lot of my photos but I really hate not having the option to lighten some of these up.  I was using my external flash but it did not always go off.  I am sure I will go back and edit them and fix this post sometime soon.}