Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was nice and relaxing, just like we like it.  We spent the day going on a hike with gorgeous weather.  We came home and the girls opened their Christmas pajama gifts and everyone quickly got their pj's n so that we could get dinner ready.  This year, we make a breakfast casserole with a hash brown crust and it was really yummy.  After breakfast/dinner we got busy opening all the gifts from friends and cousins and then started in on all of our gifts to each other.  We like to clear out the tree so that Santa has an empty canvas for the morning. Favorite gifts this year included a new fit bit that Rachel got me along with a gift certificate for  me and HER to go to a couple of zumba classes together.  I can't wait to redeem that one. I also got a cozy new blanket from Hannah and a DVD of all of our home movies.  The story behind that is that we have VERY few of those due to a couple of computer crashes and a Mom who was terrible about chronically anything on video...so to have Hannah find them all in their random spots on various computers and compile them for me was so awesome!  I got some  much needed kitchen supplies from Emma along with a beautiful handmade fabric wreath.  Rachel made a collage for Matt and I that was really thoughtful and also garnered the first cry of the evening from Mom.  The girls got Matt tons of new games and a copy of the Jungle Book DVD, which he absolutely loved.  The girls are always do such a good job with their gifts to us.  For each other there were handmade body scrubs, books, cd's  and gift certificates....Matt made each of an ornament that expressed our individual interests...Chef's knife for me, lightning bolt for Emma, theater mask for Hannah and a football helmet for Rachel.

Emma always has to take the road less or NEVER traveled while hiking

Really? You are actually going to go WITH me to Zumba?!

Technologically inept Mother communicating with teenager who is not.