We celebrated Christmas Eve at my Mom's house, per tradition, and had a very happy and yummy evening eating our traditional dinner, sipping drinks and opening gifts. After dinner, I took lots of pictures of the kiddos while it was still calm and clean, before they started ripping into gifts. Acelyn was excited for everything to start and Nolan was obsessed with Grandma's snow globe collection!
Soon enough, Nolan was ready for some stocking action, and started opening his own, then moved on to help Acelyn open hers. They both got fun toys and Nolan had some yummy candy ornaments, too!
They opened their gifts from Vermont, which included Great Grammy Jeanne's cards (and candy canes!) and Aunt Janet and Uncle Ronnie's fun gifts! Nolan loved his puzzle and plays with it literally a billion times a day, and they both love reading their new books. Acelyn has a blast with her kitty ball- it is adorable! Nolan was also super excited about his painting book and couldn't wait to give it a try... plus- no mess, woohoo! Thank you guys for thinking of us and the great gifts!
As we continued to open gifts, Nolan designated himself as the gift opener helper, so everyone had a little assistance from him while opening their own gifts. The kids were spoiled with some great toys and Acelyn really loved playing with all of the wrapping and tissue paper!
The kids were also spoiled from Aunt Denise and Uncle Georges with toys and clothes, and Nolan really loved his truck transporter for his Hot Wheels. Thank you both again for their gifts, they love them!
After opening gifts, the kids played with all of their new goodies and Nolan really took a liking to his new construction trucks. Anything "truck" is a win in his book!
We had a great time, as always, at Grandma's, but we had to hurry home to prep for Santa to come! We got in our jammies before heading into the car, that way we could just get everything ready for Santa and head straight to bed as soon as we got home. Once we unloaded, Acelyn went straight to bed since she fell asleep in the car, and Nolan got right to work on setting out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We also made sure to put a small piece of cheese in the tree for Santa Mouse! Nolan quickly drifted off to sleep, and soon enough, Santa must have made his appearance! He left some special gifts under the tree, a new table for Nolan and Acelyn, and stuffed the stockings with lots of goodies. Santa Mouse came, too, and left his signature small gift (with yellow ribbon) on the branch in exchange for his cheese! I snuck a few pictures after his arrival because the house felt so Christmas-y and I couldn't wait for the morning to arrive!
Morning came, and Nolan was SO excited to race downstairs to see if Santa had come. He and Acelyn were super excited to start their morning and laughed and ran around the room with excitement! We started with stockings, where Nolan again opened his and then helped Acelyn with hers. Nolan loved his excavator and Acelyn was a big fan of her new June and January bows and a big container of puffs! Then the kiddos were allowed to open their gifts from Santa before breakfast. Nolan was thrilled to see that Santa followed through and brought him the fire truck he was asking for nonstop (super last minute, every second, only a few days before Christmas Day, I might add). I was wondering if Santa would be able to pull it off, but of course, he worked his magic and didn't disappoint! Acelyn was excited about opening her new Bright Beats Puppy and couldn't wait to see what it could do!
We took a break to eat our cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then opened up gifts from each other. We enjoyed opening every gift and actually took each toy out and played with it as we opened, which was a nice way to appreciate each toy the kids received. Because we were enjoying each other and our gifts, we didn't snag too many pictures, which is totally okay and I'd choose to savor those moments! Nolan also opened up his gifts from Auntie Chelsea, Uncle Allen, Everette and Ivy and absolutely loved his tool truck and Where Do Diggers Sleep book! Acelyn was even more excited for her June and January gift card, woohoo! Thank you so much for the perfect gifts, we love you guys! We got ourselves dressed and ready for my Dad to come over to visit and exchange gifts. I snapped some pictures of the kids in their first outfit of the day after our visit.
Soon enough, it was lunch and nap time, and when the kids woke up, we got ourselves dressed for Christmas dinner. My mom and Jason's dad came over, and we all had a yummy ham and side dishes. These Christmas outfits were my absolute favorite, and I couldn't get over Acelyn in her puffy dress and sherpa collar! Nolan looked like such a big boy with his bowtie (which he has ironically worn for each Christmas since he's been born!)
We enjoyed our company and loved celebrating Christmas this year with everyone. It really is the best to see the holidays through your children's eyes, and as Nolan gets older and more excited about everything, it makes it that much better. We hope everyone had just as happy of a holiday season!!
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