Christmas Eve is my very favorite! Truthfully, I like it better than Christmas day. This Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. We usually always would celebrate Christmas Eve with the extended Cook family but decided with growing families to have just my family and start our own traditions. This night did not disappoint.
We had a great dinner and every one had to make an hourderve. We had a competition on whose was best.
Lindsay and Andrew won (only by 2 points ) with their delicious stuffed mushrooms
And I took second place with my Brie bites. Next time I am determined to win so look out Lindsay!
Court with the cute babes
Next we had the babies open their Christmas Jammies. Em got a dolly wearing a matching night gown. She loves to find the nose on her new dolly.
Ansley with her new jams.
Em opening her gift from Ansley. Ever since her Birthday she has been good with gifts haha.
Grandma and Grandpa with their favorites.
Cutie Ansley
Emery loves her Aunts and Uncles. They're always doing something fun with her.
After we put the babies down for the night, we had a Cook 'Minute to Win-it!' We had the Team Santas and Team Rudolphs. This part of the night turned out really fun!
Balancing candy canes on a little piece of thread, thats why it looks like they're floating.
Grandma Cook balancing as many ornaments on the yard stick as she can before it tips over.
Sisters
This game was the most fun to watch. You had to put vasaline on the end of your nose and then you had the end of a string in your mouth with a felt ball, I mean Rudolphs red nose, on the other end and had to flip it up and try to get it to stick to the end of your nose.
Team Rudolph, who took it at the end with the snowman wrapping contest!
Everyone, minus Lindsay
So Christmas Eve was a blast, but my absolute favorite part had to be the end of the night. We wanted to read the Christmas story of Christ's Birth out of the New Testament and then decided to go around and just say something we were thankful for or share anything special that has happened this year. It turned into quite a spiritual night and some wonderful and sweet experiences were shared. It reminded me, not only how grateful I am for my dear savior and his love, but for all the many blessings I have in my life and my testimony of the Gospel. I am so grateful the night ended the way it did, this Christmas Eve will always be very close to me because of it.
************************Christmas Day *************************
Bringing Em down the stairs on Christmas day was probably more exciting for me and Court than it was for her. Mostly because she had quite the noticeable present waiting for her by the tree, and her reaction did not disappoint.
Seriously, all she wanted to do was sit in that car. Before we opened any other presents or even went through stockings we had to take her outside and driver her around. Now every time we go in the garage she points at her car and demands a drive. I never pass it up really, it's pretty fun and gets me outside too :)
Feeding her dolly with her new bottles.
We had a wonderful Christmas morning together and then headed back over to my mom and dad's in the evening for the big Cook Christmas dinner (this is with all the extended family). It was loud and crazy, fun and delicious! Definitely a success! I always get a little sad when Christmas is over, but I m so thankful for this happy time of year and it was especially nice to have Court around so much. Can't wait until next year!
Hope every one had a Merry Christmas!!!
