'Twas the night before Christmas...

Christmas Eve has always been one of my most favorite nights.  There is just something magical and exciting about this night and the anticipation of tomorrow's blessings. After having children, the excitement is less about what I will be getting the following day, but it is more about the excitement of seeing the looks on the kids' faces when they see what Santa has brought for them.  Seeing Christmas through a child's eye is one of the greatest blessings that we as parents have.

We have always opened presents from mom and dad on Christmas Eve, while Santa brings the presents on Christmas Day.  I've continued that tradition, and the girls always have a great time opening their gifts after church.  We have also started a tradition of spaghetti dinner on Christmas Eve as well, which I'm sure one day (when they actually start eating) will come to enjoy as well. It was a great night, and thankfully, we didn't have to stay up too late (except Josh helping Santa put together the trampoline that he kept having to re-do the springs).

we let them open one present before church since they did a good job with pictures

"princesses!!"

Santa came!

Grant's pile

Alli's pile

A princess castle for Lila and Alli

Lila's pile

Santa's helper working hard

Christmas Eve Family Service

On Christmas Eve, Josh and I usually attend a worshipful candlelight service where the girls go to the nursery.  This year, however, we tried something a little different, and it was wonderful.

Our church, UBC, had a family service on Christmas Eve that we decided to attend since the girls are old enough now that they can sit still and quiet for a longer period of time. I had my reservations, but it was so great, and I'm glad that we went.

When we first walked up, we saw a live nativity set out on the front lawn with a huge camel, donkey, goats, and sheep.  Lila didn't see baby Jesus at first, and she was worried.  She said "these animals are for baby Jesus, but I don't see him."  The baby, Mary, and Joseph walked out a few minutes later, and Lila was really excited to see them.  She walked over to the baby to say hello right away.  Alli was really scared of the animals and had me whole her the whole time. She eventually petted a goat with me holding on to her.

hanging with her church friend, Sadie

Alli and Grant were saving our spots while I visited with friends

We met some friends and socialized in the sanctuary for a while before taking our seats.  The service was so great! There were lots of fun songs, a good message, and the animals even made their appearance again walking through the sanctuary. They had glow sticks instead of candles (for obvious reasons), which was such a great idea. The kids were so well-behaved, and it definitely helped that we brought many snacks for the girls and plenty of milk for Grant. Lila also had a fun time coloring the offering envelopes, which she called "tickets." I'm so glad that we went to this service, and I'm glad we could include our children in worshiping the birth of our Lord and Savior.

the beautiful sanctuary