We got all dressed up as we were going to the Christmas Eve service at church after dinner.
We tried to take a picture...
We did Raclette ("Gourmetten" in Dutch) for dinner.
Even the kids' table had their own play raclette set.
The kids wore their new snowman pjs to bed that night and we took a pic in the morning (Christmas morning) before opening gifts.
Someone, if not all 4, REALLY wanted to tear into those presents Santa left!
Third models his pjs.
Presents!
Aside from sewing snowman pjs for the kids I also sewed tractor pjs for Mason and a tractor blanket.
Ethan enjoys one of the new camping chairs for next summer's trip!
He was completely freaked out by the baby doll that cries (not the large orange cobra by his feet though).
The kids got a lot of Playmobil this year and they've already played with it soooo much. They got the mansion in the picture and LOVE it. I'd recommend it FOR SURE for any kids.
On Boxing Day we went to my parents' house. My sister took this picture on Christmas Day evening. It was my mom's last night in the barn.
A pic of mom and dad on their last milking night in the barn. They retired after 36 years. What an adventure. And one that deserves its own post.
We had dinner catered in for 15 people (the baby didn't eat solids yet).
Cheers!
A quick game of hide and seek before opening the kids' gifts in the afternoon.
Aunt Pet (my sister) hides too...took the kids like 20 minutes to find her and then it was time for gifts.
Mason was done at that point. Not even presents could keep him awake.
He slept through much of the gift opening.
And slept...
Ethan was wide awake though!
Meg enjoys her Playmobil.
Austen too.
We gave Petra her birthday gift too...a beautiful bracelet from Dayspring that says "Lover of my Soul" and a shirt that says "COFFEE: A hug in a cup".
(She had pinned it on Pinterest and we had it custom made for her).
By the way, she's laughing in this picture because I give her the same birthday card every year. One time I just bought a whole bunch of them.
They're definitely our kind of humour.
This look says "Help!" like no other.
haha
Third awoke and unwrapped a haybaler.
So happy!!
Gotta love the look.
Pet tried on her shirt.
The rest of the afternoon was spent putting Playmobil together.
and having a dance party...the music video I'm making (in movie maker) is to follow soon!
Ethan started walking on Austen's birthday so I was right on with my 15 month prediction! He still prefers crawling though.
More dance partying.
And a family photo of all 16 of us.
(my brother's family prefers not to be shown)
My parents (Oma and Opa) with their 9 grandkids.
Us 6.
Aunt Pet with some of her nieces and nephews.
It's always fun with Aunt Pet!
The adults did their gifts that night while the kids were tucked in bed.
Nice and peaceful.
We open 1 present at a time and see what everyone gets.
It's so much nicer that way!
We actually do that with our own kids too on Christmas morning. Then they can see what the others get too!
She's so beautiful that sister of mine!
Opa (my dad) got 2 balaclavas. Here's Ian and my dad trying them on.
Petra and us got together and got my mom a Keurig coffeemaker with Hazelnut coffee (her favourite).
Petra had to make a trip out to her car the next morning, Dec. 27, and the monster snowstorm almost did her in.
It was a very bad storm. My brother couldn't even go home with his family and had to wait till the next day. The kids couldn't go outside either and were cooped up in the house...all 16 of us.
Petra show us how she's almost getting blown away.
Oma cuddles with the newest addition to the family...only 1 1/2 months old.
The BEST GIFT I got was this little gem:
De Mol.
It's "The Mole" in Dutch!
I love the reality series of The Mole and have seen them all here. But I've never seen the Dutch ones and I got 2 seasons of The Mole in Dutch on DVD. I have a region-free DVD player (because other DVD players won't play them) so I can actually watch them! Yay!
We're back home and today Ethan got a fever of 103F (39.4C).
My nieces were sick over Christmas too and we seem to have picked it up too)
Poor guy.
Therefore, with the tree now out of the houe and the house unpacked and tidied up, there's nothing else to do but snuggle, get better, and play some board games.
Yay!
P.S. Megan got 'Qwirkle' and it's so fun!
Some of the other gifts I made this year (aside from the pjs) were the following:
A Fort Kit!
10 of them.
(2 for my daycare kids, 4 for my kids, and 4 for my brother's kids)
This one is a girl one.
Its contents: sheet with ties in the corners (sewed them all on), a rope, clothespins, flashlight, and glowsticks. I sewed the big storage bag and the little on for the pins...that's 10 big bags and 10 little ones.
I think I'm done sewing for awhile. :)
And this is the boy one.
Same contents except in boy colours.
I painted this camping trailer sign for my in-laws when they go camping.
Their last name is under the black circles.
I painted and made this family birthdays sign I saw on Pinterest.
This one was for my mom. (her favourite colour is green)
Each family has their own colour.
This is my mother-in-law's sign. Her favourite colour is red.
I painted this quickly for my mom's new laundry room.
And that was it!
Lots of crafts.
So fun to do.
Hope your holidays were as good as ours!
