Christmas 2015

Christmas 2015 was simply the best.  We started the celebration on Christmas Eve by going to a service that our friends invited us to.  Afterwards, we continued our tradition of picking up some Chinese food on the way home.  We quickly ate and then it was time to get ready for Santa.  Bella was exhausted so she went to bed while Addie worked on "writing" her letter.  She is quite the artist these days and loves to color!  We watched Frosty and enjoyed a special snack before it was time to check the Santa tracker and get to bed before he got to our house.  If she only knew what was in store for her in the morning...

After the girls were in bed Eric and I decided to celebrate Christmas, just the 2 of us.  Eric loved his new workout gear, Carolina Panthers shirt, and monthly sock subscription.  I was so excited about my new Pandora bead, personalized canvas of our love story, workout stuff, and my new Hunter boots.  Eric did good this year :) 

Christmas day was by far one of my favorite days ever.  This is the first year that I spent it away from my parent's house but there's something magical about creating memories with your own children in your own house on Christmas.  It was so awesome to see the joy on Addie's face when we came down the stairs.  She was so excited and couldn't decide what to do first.  She tested out her trampoline from Aunt Kristen and checked out her new nursery from Grandma and Pap.  When she turned the corner and saw more presents in the family room she almost couldn't contain her excitement.  The new cozy coupe that was waiting for her was by far one of her favorites!  Bella was equally excited to take it all in and watch her big sister.  Bella even decided to snack on her new Sofie while she watched Addie play.  Eric cooked up some yummy Santa pancakes for breakfast while Addie was busy playing.  She played and played and played all day long.  She played her little heart out from sun up to sun down and it was so much fun to watch.  This year, it was about 70 degrees on Christmas day, which was a little crazy.  We decided to take advantage of the warm weather and go outside so Addie could take her new ride for a spin and Bella could get some fresh air.  Nap time was spent lounging and recharging on the couch while watching Christmas movies.  We had a quiet dinner just the 4 of us, followed by some more playing.  After it was dark, we decided to have Addie color a picture for her Mom-mom and Pap-pap in Heaven on a Chinese wish lantern.  She wished them a Merry Christmas and told them that she loved and missed them.  We went outside and lit the lanterns and sent our messages up to Heaven.  This is the second Christmas we have had without Sherry, but I know she was here in spirit.  She loved her grandkids more than anything and I know she had a huge smile on her face all day as she watched them celebrate the joy of Christmas.  I think the pictures that we sent up to her were icing on the cake!  We ended our night with Christmas sundaes in honor of Jesus' birthday, which was a huge hit for Addie!  All in all it was an amazing day.  The house was full of toys, smiles, laughter, and exhausted children at the end of the day and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  Until next year...