Christmas Eve/Christmas 2012

We usually do a big dinner with my family on Christmas Eve and then a big dinner with Jason's family on Christmas day.  Jan didn't feel like cooking on Christmas day (I don't blame her), so we had our big Miller family dinner on the 23rd.  It was delicious.  Jan really goes all out.  We had king crab legs and prime rib, yum!  

Michelle was putting Taylor down when we started eating, so she was the last one eating.  She continued eating even after we had cleared the table.  She didn't seem to mind.  Eating in peace is a luxury most parents don't get to enjoy :)

I think this might be the cutest picture I have ever taken.  Max and Ezra don't get along too well so this really was a Christmas miracle.  Michelle got the boys matching jammies and they were just too cute together.  I know they will grow up and be the best of friends.  If only we lived closer :(

After dinner, the kids each got to open one present.  It was nice because this entertained them while Jeff read the adults a nice Christmas story.  It was such a nice evening.  We love spending time with Jason's siblings and miss them when they are gone.

After our Christmas Eve friend brunch (see other post), we headed to my parents for dinner.  We had prime rib again, which I will never complain about.  It was delicious.  My mom and sister did a great job.  

They may not be matching but these cousins are still so cute in their jammies.  

We opened all our presents from my family that night.  Everyone was so generous.  We read Luke 2 and each wrote what our gift to Jesus was this year. We had a great night.   

It is so nice to be in our own home for Christmas morning.  We just hung out after opening presents.  The boys each got a bike (Ollie got a new one with pedals and Max got Ollie's old bike all readjusted for him).  So far I think the favorite gift the boys got has been their Popular Mechanics for Kids DVD's.  They both love them.  I'm sure you can imagine how proud this makes their father.  In fact, I catch him sucked up in them every once in a while.  

Around 10am we headed to Jason's parents for a big breakfast and opening presents with his family.  This is the only picture I took...lame.  This pic is a pretty big deal though because Taylor isn't always a fan of the male gender (unless it is her daddy), but she was letting Mike hold her without crying!  I don't think she was happy about it, but you take what you can get.  It was a really nice morning.  The food was great and everyone got lots of great stuff.  We are so blessed.

Around 2pm we headed back to our house where my entire extended family was coming over for dinner at 3pm.  We always do dinner together and then a white elephant gift exchange.  It is always a lot of fun.

Chrissy got a sun hat for Hawaii.

Family pic.

I'm not going to lie, that night I was exhausted.  It was a wonderful Christmas.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.  

Christmas Eve Brunch

We had our fifth annual Christmas Eve Brunch this year.  It was so fun.  We had our biggest turnout yet.  Every year is different depending on who is in town for the holidays.  A lot of people who were here this year will be out of town next year.  I would estimate that we had around 40 people, plus kids.  It was a good time.  We had banana/nutella and strawberry/whipped cream crepes along with a green chile egg bake, muffins, juice etc.  Can't wait for next year!

Peanut our elf was happy to be a part of the festivities.  

Gina and Jason catching up.

 Me, Candace and baby Liam.

 Nate, Jared and Jason.

Shelley and Taylor.

Jen and Jeff.

Spring and Ryan

Ashley, Michelle, Chrissy and Stacie (with Merrick and Britt).

Lucy and Chris bought us this awesome bee spatula.

Elle and Alyssa.

Ashley, Austin and Merrick. 

Provo friends, the Evers and the DeBurghs.  We are so happy that Sean and Spring live in Roseville and that we get to see them fairly often.

Letty, Stacie and Chrissy.

Here is a look back on previous brunch pictures.  

This was the first year 2007.  This isn't everyone that came but it was the only group pic we took.  We use to host it at Jason's parent's house.

 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

This picture was Jason reading to the boys on Christmas Eve.  After scriptures they read "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

Pre-Christmas

One of my new years resolutions is to get back into blogging.  I don't know what has gotten into me lately.  I think I get behind and then the thought of catching up overwhelms me.  We had a lot of fun this year preparing for Christmas.  We bought an Elf on the Shelf for the kids and they had a lot of fun with that.  Here are some of the other things we did leading up to the holidays.

We went on a triple date with Stacie and Drew, Chrissy and Dave.  We tried Johnny Garlics, which is one of Guy Fiori's restaurants.  I didn't have high expectations because it seemed like it was going to be very chain-like to me, but it wasn't.  It was really delicious and the menu had quite a few options I would have liked to try.

We found a dry day to go and help pic mandarins.  Chrissy and I each picked 3 buckets (which probably barely covered what my kids ate while we were there).  It was fun and the kids loved "helping".

Our primary put on a breakfast with Santa.  Ollie wrote a letter to Santa.  All he asked for this year was "a big flashlight".  He played with a Maglite once in Jason's truck and has wanted one ever since.  

We learned after our last experience not to force the kids to sit on Santa's lap, so this is as close as he got.

Ollie had birthday parties to attend three Saturdays in a row.  They were all a lot of fun.  At this one they did a dinosaur dig.  I thought it was such a cute idea and the kids loved it.

We had a lot of rain, which made it hard to find a time to cut down a Christmas tree.  Finally we had a dry three hour stretch on a Saturday so we hurried out and cut down a beautiful tree.  I am thisclose to becoming a total sell out and buying an artificial tree, but it didn't happen so the tradition will live on for now.

Another rainy day.  It was raining harder than I have ever seen.  It was like someone was spraying a hose against our window.

Ollie and I used that rainy Sunday afternoon to decorate the tree.  He was such a good little helper, and more than willing to climb the ladder to hang up the ornaments.  Since we try to buy an ornament at each place we visit, it is so fun to decorate our tree and remember the places we have been.

 A few weeks before Christmas the young women in our ward had an activity where they babysat so parents could go Christmas shopping.  Jason and I jumped at the opportunity and went to Chick-Fil-A and Costco.  It was awesome!

One lazy afternoon the boys and I were watching the Grinch and they were both cuddled up to me.  It is moments like this where I just feel so content with my life.  I love these sweet boys.

Ollie had his preschool Christmas performance.  Ollie gets really shy and nervous (to the point of tears sometimes), so I didn't expect him to sing and I knew we would be lucky if we could just get him to stand up there.  It wasn't looking good a first, but he stood up there and while he didn't sing, I did see him almost want to a few times.  I'm sure he will warm up to these sorts of things as he gets older.  Side note: it is not looking like this will be a problem for Max.  He loves singing.

 We also went to Auburn's Festival of Lights parade.  It was fun.  A little talked up in my opinion, but still fun.  

This goofball made shoes out of oven mitts :)

 Max LOVES helping daddy with his projects.  Jason hears "me do it" all the time.  He wants to do everything like daddy.  Good thing he has some tools just like Jason's.