CT Fosburg Blog: Christmas Eve/Day 2011

I know it's so late, but I wanted to make sure it got recorded. We had a wonderful Christmas and it was Ally's first.

Christmas Eve
We did quite a bit on Christmas Eve. Since Christmas fell on the Sabbath this year we had the big family dinner the night before. We invited one companionship of elders and a part member couple to join us. The other set of elders came after dinner. I had a great time making all the food - the pies especially. I loved the Christ-centered discussions and all the positive and grateful feelings that were felt during the dinner. Then, while I cleaned up a bit, Chris put on the second installment of Kung Fu Panda which everyone thought was hilarious.

When I joined everyone we watched one of the Christmas films put out by the church to help us get in the spirit and we talked to the kids about why Christmas is so special. Then Joe got to put the baby Jesus on our beautiful advent calendar, handmade by Chris' mom and sister. (the kids loved this calendar so much and I did too! So excited to add it to our family traditions.) We said a prayer and finished the evening. It was such a wonderful experience and made it so much easier to face the rest of the night...

We had a LOT to do once the kids went to bed! But before they went, we allowed the kids to open one gift each before bed. It's a Call tradition. I love it. Chris thinks it's odd, but he lets me do it anyway. This year the kids were encouraged to go for a specific gift. Grama Fosburg's!

She made some of the cutest jammies I've ever seen. They were adorable and easily separated since they all sported each child's first initial: E-Evie, J-Joe, L-Lizzy, A-Ally. They were also made matching pillowcases, except for Ally who received a little pillow.

Guess what? Ally's little pillow has become her "safe" toy or "lovey". It's that one item that a kid can't sleep without or go anywhere new without it coming along. She takes it everywhere we allow it. I try to keep it in her bed like her pacifier, but sometimes it comes on long car trips too. She sleeps with it (literally she lays on it) every single night!

that's her little pillow just behind her

Christmas Day
Christmas Day was a bit crazy! This year it fell on the Sabbath so it was a bit different. We woke up the kids and let them look at all the neat toys and their stockings. They were, of course, allowed to play a bit with the big Santa toys and eat a candy or two from their stockings after breakfast.

BEFORE THE KIDS WOKE UP!

The overall effect was really cool for us adults to see. Santa was very generous and we spoiled them too. I was especially touched by all the Christmas cards we got this year. I know it seems outdated to do them, but I have always enjoyed the cards being placed prominently, just like a regular decoration. It also made me feel good about how hard I've been working to keep in touch with people I love but have moved far away from.

I think I love Santa more for the stockings than anything else. It always showed me how well Santa knew me personally. In a family with such amazing characters, I tended to feel a bit overlooked. My stocking always told me otherwise - and loving squeezes from my mom and dad.

AFTER THE KIDS WOKE UP!

Joe loved the "warzone" Santa had created with Joe's first ever set of Army Men! It includes the men, the choppers, the tanks, and the hills/fences to hide behind. I can't tell if Joseph liked these more or dad did. Needless to day they've been a hit ever since. And darn those snipers! I find them in all sorts of places.

Lizzy's car made Christmas morning. She loved getting it and though it is strictly an outside toy now, it is continuously played with on a regular basis. It is a bit dirtier, but I'm sure as toys go, happier now that it's got it's own little kids to play with...every day...no matter what...all the time.

I knew that Santa would hit it off with Eve with this very pink kitchen, but I had no idea how much the whole lot of kids would love it too. Evie and Joe and Lizzy and even Ally cook every day. Sometimes the kitchen is actually a kitchen, more often it seems to be a drive through with that great window in the middle. Sometimes it's even a cave wall holding up a blanket to make it fort-like. No matter the purpose, it is a loved item.

Though I'm sure Santa intended this toy to aid Ally in walking it seems to have been designed for overall household use, according to the Fosburg children. Ally uses it quite often, but not for walking. She loves the toys on it and the sounds they make. The other kids use it like a vacuum, a car, or anything else with a motor that can go fast.

Then we hurriedly got gussied up for church. My calling at church right now is the Ward Music Chairperson. Due to this calling I was in charge of creating a program of some kind for our ward since our bishop chose to just have the sacrament meeting and allow the members to return home a bit earlier.

PROGRAM AVAILABLE OVER THERE >

I was so nervous about this program. I had lots of music to prepare and the dialogue with all the appropriate scriptures. It sounds like not that big of a deal and honestly, it wasn't the best program I'd heard. I'm from a community of members that are treated to amazing programs regularly, so this was my small attempt to do something similar, but all on my own.

I had no idea what I had done until the next week when the comments came forward. Apparently the majority of the ward had never experiences the kind of program that I had copied from my other wards. They were grateful and interested and excited and expressed how their testimonies of the Church of Jesus Christ were strengthened. I was shocked! My little effort to do a little of what I had been blessed with in other areas was a huge success. I was really glad too because I had worked so hard on it. The actual program is laid out in the pages section to the right if you're interested.

So thankfully the program went well and we all returned home. We had a great time on Christmas day. We ate lunch very quickly and then changed back into jammies. Then came the chaos that is present-time. The kids were actually very good and very patient. I really don't like doing the whole one at a time everyone watches each other thing, but I did like how we did it this year. It was a bit slower than all at once, but not as slow as only one at a time. Somewhere in the middle fit us perfectly. So I was able to pictures of almost all the gifts and each kid had a bit of time in the spotlight. It was great and as we went through the opening of the presents I also came to realize that even though we cut back on the spoiling, we still totally spoiled our kids. My one consolation is the fact that before every big present getting event like Christmas or birthdays, our kids go through their current stash and donate a decent portion of their used toys and clothes. Either way, our kids had a great Christmas between Santa, mom and dad, and grandparents, they were not lacking in any way. Just take a look!

This first set of pix are all about opening the gifts. We made sure to take lots of them for gramas and grampas who were anxious to see if the kids liked their stuff. Good thing I call better than I blog or they'd still be waiting to know!

Stocking time for Liz - I love her sock monkey stocking!

That's a princess wand by the way.

All the kids received coloring supplies: two new books and a set of crayons.

They have all been used plenty!

This little Tigger rattles, squeaks, is soft, squishy and she loved it!

Lizzy loved getting this - it is so popular that I find it in every room of the house - literally!

these tutus are all from Grama Fosburg - obviously a HUGE hit!

these are the bed sets from Nana and Papa Morris. They looked great when we switched around the rooms and got the beds for Eve and Joe later!

this is a family size (yes, our family size) tent! We have missed camping so much since the kids started coming. can't wait to get back out and have some fun again in this way.

These last set of pictures are all about playing with our new toys. I have not had so much fun on Christmas day since I was a kid! I love having a big family. What a great way to grow up.

We finally agreed that though we have no problem with Joe wearing his sister's dress up clothes, but we thought it was time we had some male heroes and villains join the fray. Boy - did our males join the fray! Daddy gets beat up on a pretty regular basis, but even Liz joins in. BTW - Lizzy is the best and most dramatic 'dier' of the whole group. We always feel so sad for her while we laugh like crazy.