Pre Christmas Fun!

Hang on - this is a quick week before Christmas ride that I'm about to take you on! 

I can remember growing up and going to Edmonton with my mom (just the two of us) at Christmas time.  We would do some shopping, go out for supper, and then hit up Candy Cane Lane.  It was always (and still is) on of my highlights of growing up.  I decided that this year I would do the same with Ezra - we had a great day...he's a boy - so shopping was a slight struggle for him - but he still talks about it today.  

This year we had multiple advent calendars on the go.  One was the lego advent calendar, a second was a sticker advent calendar, and the third was the "new book" advent calendar (I can't take credit - saw it on pinterest).  Prior to Dec 1, I purchased 24 new books for our home library.  I then wrapped them up and put them under the tree.  Each night the kids opened one new book (or some nights two if we had missed the night before!).  Ryder loved it!  He was always asking if we could open a book and it's so nice to have a new selection of books in our home library for the kids to choose from now.  

We hosted our Family Christmas Party on the 21st.  6 different families joined us this year with a total of 15 children ages 8 and under joining us (again, the majority being 5 and under!).  It was chaos and a lot of fun!  The kids decorated Christmas trees (upside down ice cream cones), made a Christmas wreath (thanks to my bestie Falon for coming up with the idea and executing it!), listened to a Christmas story read by Uncle Matt & Auntie Sarah (they are recorded!), sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, and then the Jolly Man himself - Santa - arrived bearing gifts for each boy and girl!  It was a fabulous evening and lots of fun!

The yummy food - it was a cookies and hot cocoa event!

It was also a pj party - Falon and I got decked out in our leggings and me in my Christmas socks. :) 

On the 22nd, we headed to mom and dad's for a Jones Christmas gathering.  It was a short (never is enough time with Jones') visit filled with as much playing and visiting we could get in.  Just as people were starting to head home, we gathered the kids for a picture.  Here is about half of the Jones' legacy.  With the exception of the top two kids - everyone is 4 and under...makes for a loud and fun house!  

Once everyone had left, we celebrated the Glenn & Glenys Oliver Family Christmas as Nikki was heading to Manitoba this year.  It was late so we had to wake Mckenzie - she was not very impressed with us but proved to be a trooper.  

Christmas Eve afternoon we headed to Willis' for a very quick Christmas cheer time.  They are such a special family to us and we appreciate how they pour love on our children as if they are their own.  It is such a blessing to have friends that become like family - our kids have many non-blood Auntie and Uncle's!