Eric's family usually comes up on Christmas Day to eat lunch and celebrate the holiday, but with all the sickness floating around this year we post-poned it until today.   Eli was so anxious for them to get here that he pulled up a seat and stared out the window.  It was so sweet to see him to excited.  I'm sure the anticipation of presents was a large motivator, but he was glad to see family too! After the world's fastest lunch, we got down to business opening presents.  Ellie had no trouble holding her own and tore through the packages at record speed.  Eli was showed more restraint and took his time looking at everything and thanking the giver, which was a nice thing to see!  After all the presents were opened, we visited for a while before Nan and Grandad had to leave.  It's always sad to see them go, but we're going to Marion for New Year's Eve.  So it won't be long before we visit again.  In other news…the ...

Much to our surprise (and delight) the kids slept late of Christmas morning.  We didn't hear Eli until 8:20, and we had to wake up Ellie.  We had put the gate at the end of the hall before we went to bed hoping to prevent peeking.  Good thing, because Eli tried to bypass our room and went sprinting down the hall.   Their faces were priceless.  Eli got everything on his list which is a small miracle we are going to enjoy before he starts making requests too big to fulfill . Eli was priceless, ya'll.  She had no idea what was awaiting her when she woke up.  Needless to say, she was in shock.  Ha! Eric's family usually comes into town for Christmas Day, but illness kept them away.  Since we didn't  have lunch to prepare, we were lazy and took our time playing with the kids and being together as a family.  I even let go of my Type A ways and let the kids make a mess.  Ellie and Eric watched...

Christmas Eve was simply magical.  It's my favorite day of the whole year, and it did not disappoint.  The kids slept fairly late, so we skipped breakfast and headed to Glasgow for lunch and grocery shopping. We ate at Gondolier and then went grocery shopping.  When we made it back home, we played with kids, read our email videos from Santa, and spent some time as a family.  At some point we realized that we didn't have stocking stuffers, so I went back to town to load up on goodies. Once I made it back, we ate a quick dinner, took baths, and opened our presents to each other.  Eli bought me a necklace which I helped pick out and wrap. Ha!  Ellie got me the matching earrings.  They went in together (with money I gave them) to give Eric a Blue ray player.   It's one he picked out on black Friday, so no surprise there.  Eli got a Thor action figure from Mommy and Daddy, and Ellie gave him a Cane wrestler which e...

Our family would like to wish you a blessed day as we celebrate and honor our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

One of our family's favorite Christmas traditions is heading to Nashville to see the lights at Opryland Hotel.  I know that as time passes we will likely transition away from many of our activities like the Polar Express, parades, etc.  However, this is something I hope we continue to do as they grow older,and eventually include our future in-laws and grandchildren.  Yesterday we headed to Nashville right after work.  We have learned from experience that it is best to make the trip on December 23rd.  Crowds are lights, parking is easy, and we don't have to rush back for work or school. It was pouring down rain when we got there which made the trek from the car to the hotel a nightmare, but it was totally worth it because the kids were elated when we got inside.   Eli remembered a few things, but to Ellie it was all basically brand new.  She literally stood up in her stroller pointing and clapping as we walked through the win...