A glimpse of Christmas at our house!

Wanted to share some Christmas photos with you.  I'm catching up here - truly I am.  :)

On Christmas Eve we headed to church which again this year was held at the DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center).  It was a wonderful celebration in song, testimony and message about Jesus who came to save us all!

One picture of a couple of mine inside.  Nobody really wanted to be photographed this year.  Not sure why.  LOL

Heading home by mid-afternoon.  There were 5 services this year (2 on the 23rd and 3 on the 24th).

While everyone was ready, it was time for a photo.  I liked this one best as it was a real smile from Eliana and not a forced one.  

One of our whole family - we should have been silly to get better smiles I think.

We tend to do our fancier meal on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day.  Ham, sweet potatoes, cranberry relish were some of our foods.

We open one gift on Christmas Eve - new pajamas.

I try to find things that they will like (Joshua is a Batman fan) or that fits their style.

My two beauties.

We start Christmas morning upstairs by reading the Christmas story all together.  Then we head downstairs - photo on the steps - and open our stockings.

Stockings contain small food items, personal care, and a few fun things too.

Our breakfast is a traditional meal that we all call Christmas casserole - the egg, cheese, sausage one that many of you have had.  And juice which is a treat in our family.

After eating, we open gifts.  This takes awhile in our home as we do it one at a time and enjoy them.  Is this a look of pure delight or what?!

My children all really enjoy giving gifts to each other too.

Christopher wanted disc golf and the younger boys all went in to get him some.

Rebecca found a fun new game for Christopher.  (More soon on some new games our family has been enjoying!)

This present made us all laugh.  The bag was so big that Eliana climbed completely inside so that we could see none of her.  She then made her way out with her gift.

Christopher gave the boys Minecraft which they have all loved!

Lunch is mostly appetizer types of foods which we can snack on all day - summer sausage, cheese, crackers, fruit, devilled eggs, sausage balls veggies and hummus and pigs in blankets.

Eliana loves opening gifts and it is so much fun to watch her as she tosses paper to her left and right, little bits at a time.  (And as my sweet friend Hollie pointed out - note the leg art from her new marker set.)

Joshua was given lots of different comic books this year (he is a collector) which he loved.

Daniel is the Lego collector.  Hobbit was a fun new theme this year.

We took time out to play some of our new games  - Say Anything.

Eliana got a cupcake game.  So cute!

Can you guess who gave this to Rebecca?

Just a sweet photo!

Our birthday cake for Jesus was cupcakes this year.  So thankful for Him - the best gift ever!

Christopher also gave his brothers this basketball hoop.  Love seeing him play with Eliana!

I think I take a lot of photos of the two of them playing.

My Mom came to visit the day after Christmas.

Playing more new games - Operation.

And Elefun.

Eliana got a new doll and she is trying to feed her with my new spatula/spoon.

I got a new camera and while I was taking photos with it, Eliana used this one to take her own pictures.  She LOVES to take pictures.  Wondering if this may be a bigger role in her future.

Picture of Nana with six of her grandchildren.  So thankful she was able to come visit with us and wish my Dad could have been here too!

WE had a wonderful CHristmas season.  We all stayed healthy which was a  blessing too!  Thankful to have a loving God who sent His one and only Son to be the Savior of the World!

Blessings to all of you!
Leslie