This Christmas we spent in Iowa. I was sad not to be able to go home, but we just couldn't financially and time wise. Since we couldn't go home, my parents and Jacob came here. It was such a nice surprise. And of course I again didn't get very many pictures. But here is my little recount of the wonderful day. My family got here on the 23rd at like 8 PM, and Kevin got home around 9 PM. I was so happy to have people home again. Sometimes it gets lonely being at home with the kids. So the celebration could begin.
In the morning I made some breakfast and then my parents snuck upstairs to surprise the kids. They were so surprised, but my mom made the grave mistake of bringing up a lost Friskie dog and Camille was just so excited to see Friskie, so she seemed less excited about grandma and grandpa being there. But they really were excited and it made for such a special Christmas.
We played games and made our homemade pizzas for lunch. We didn't end up making cookies for Santa, but we left him out some pre-made cookies that were in a tin. For dinner we kept up with the tradition of ordering Panda Express. We ordered so much panda express. It was a fun surprise for my parents, and delicious for the rest of us. We obviously ate too much, but had a good night anyway. We read the story of Jesus Christ's birth, and had the kids put a sticker nativity together as we read the story. Then after all the festivities were done, we put the kids to bed.
Christmas Morning the kids didn't even wake us up until 7 AM when their light turned green. We went downstairs and the kids saw what Santa left them and they were so excited! Camille has been asking for a remote control helicopter for years, and last year I told her that Santa doesn't do remote controlled things (mostly because she would have been too young to have the coordination to fly a helicopter). I saw one at a store called Five Below and it was only $5 so I got one for her and a monster truck for Jason. They have lasted relatively well and Camille has been able to fly it so good now. But on Christmas she said, "Mom, I guess Santa does make remote controlled thing!" I can hardly believe she remembered what I said last year.
It was 60 Degrees outside, and the kids got a sled for Christmas. So Kevin pulled them around outside on the grass in his bare feet! It was such a warm Christmas!
We took turns opening gifts and it was just a nice celebration of Jesus Christ and a good time to be together. It was a beautiful day playing with gifts and grandma and grandpa and Jacob. We had a Traditional Christmas dinner of Ham and funeral potatoes, and enjoyed our time together.
My Dad and I took a 3 mile walk after the Christmas festivities and it was so nice. I love to go on walks, especially with my dad. It is always a special time for me to be able to go on long walks or short walks with my dad.
The next day we took Grandpa and Jacob to the Children's Museum. The kids loved showing Grandpa and Jacob around, and they loved playing. We recently got a membership to the Children's Museum, and I think that will be great, the kids love it there.
The next morning my family left for Utah....only a 16 hour drive. I was so grateful that the weather was nice and they were safe.
This Christmas was a special one, filled with surprises and family. I hope to always cherish my time with family. I love the family I grew up in, and I also the one I am making.
Merry Christmas from the Haderlie Family!
