Ryan and I had a great time at his company Christmas party!
Although Christmas wasn't all cold, white and BIG, we really enjoyed each other! It was a different type of big. Since part of the kids gift from us went toward tickets to fly to Michigan (per their choice) in February, Christmas wasn't quite as large as usual. I was so happy to see how grateful the kids were after opening a few gifts, having no idea that their last gift was sitting over at our good friend (Auntie) Abigail's apartment. They played with gifts from family and other gifts for a while before I reminded them that they had one last small surprise to check out.
Above is the video of the kids checking out their final Christmas gift from us!
This video above is pretty entertaining, considering Ryan's reaction to this surprise :) He left the decision up to me regarding what type of pet we would get for the kids . He was especially surprised because I had given him the impression that I changed my mind about getting the kids a pet. Rest assured he is falling in love with these lovely creatures right along with the rest of us!
Initially I bought only two rats. However, Kierce ended up latching onto the blue rat and named him Cacow, and Rowan fell in love with the dumbo rat (who's ears stick out to the sides) and named him Machi. Now, considering the fact that Merrick was the main reason for seeking a pet (he has been desperately missing our dog Buddy), you can see this situation was in need of a remedy. Yes, we made one last trip to the pet store a couple days later to let Merrick pick out his own rattie, whom he named Star (not pictured), short for Rock Star. It's really precious to see all of the love and care the kids have been pouring out toward their little babies. They are all super sweet little things. You should hear Merrick talk to Star in the sweetest high pitch baby talk voice. He carries him around using the football hold. Priceless!
Later Christmas day, we went to Dana and Brooke's house for a Christmas celebration! Our good friend Aunt Paulette (Uncle Bo sadly was home sick), Lori, Steph and Steph's Mom and Brother all came as well! The kids had a blast doing a fun scavenger hunt that their Aunt Brooke planned for them!
We introduced the fun gift exchange game to the family! This is the game where its OK to steal and scheme! It was fun, but maybe next year it will get a little more rough. They eased themselves in this year with only a couple pretty passive steals ;) Here Eva is modeling on one of our gifts we landed, a beach mat!
Some cuddle time with Aunt Brooke!
Some cuddle time with cousin Lori!
Since Dana and Brooke had a gorgeous tree all decked out, we just had to take a moment to capture a family photo in front of the beast! Our tree came in at a modest 2.5 feet this year, so we were all over this massive opportunity! We had such a nice time relaxing, conversing and dining with family. This entire year has been a completely new experience, especially this holiday. Its (almost) all new, all good, amd exactly what God wants for us in this moment in time. Traditions- some old, a lot new and they will both live happily side by side.
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