Camas Family Visit!

 

We were so excited to have Aunt Andrea, Uncle Marlon and Marlon and Matthew come stay with us right after Christmas!

We had a mini Christmas celebration together and it was so fun to have Christmas with our cousins :)

 

Matthew still adores "his Amelia."

 

My sis-in-law, Andrea and me :)

 

Addison was very excited about her computer from Grandpa!  Big hugs!

 

Grandpa got both the girls pretty Granddaughter necklaces.

 

Matthew loves hugs and hugged everyone.  So sweet.

 

Marlon and Luke enjoyed lots of new Legos!

 

Fun bowling!

 

We LOVED having our California crew in Mississippi.  It was a wet, soggy week but we had loads of fun anyway.  

Love y'all!

Merry Christmas 2016!

 

This was Christmas morning...early.  Look at their eyes, so droopy. 

 I took like 10 different photos and in every single shot, one or all of their eyes were closed due to the flash.  Which I told them would not be needed if they did not wake us up before the sun!!!  

And just like every year, Luke was the first one up, who then woke Addison up to use her cuteness to wake Stephen and I up so that he wouldn't get in trouble.  And then Luke and Addison run up the stairs like elephants to wake up Amelia.  Hence, sleepy eyes.  

 

Luke LOVES this present and it proves Santa has a sense of humor.  Luke has been eating with his hands since he has been in a high chair and we have been trying to break the habit for the last 11 years.  The most common phrase at our dinner table every night is "Luke, use your fork."  Well, it just so happens Luke is also a HUGE Star Wars fan.  Somehow the elves made Luke a fork that says, "USE THE FORK LUKE."  

We all got a great laugh out of that present and Luke eats with it every night.

 

Anything monogrammed makes this southern girl happy.

 

Anything Lego or video game makes this guy happy.

 

Amelia loved her new purse.

 

Luke really, really, really wanted a Yeti cup and Santa delivered.

  This led to another funny moment by Luke.  The first presents he opened from Santa were a fork, a sleeping bag, a utility pocket knife and a Yeti cup.  After he looked at his pile of presents he looked at Stephen and I a little worried and said, "Am I moving out?"  

So funnny.  

 

This was another amazing Santa moment that we haven't quite figured out.  Look at Addison's shocked face.  

That is a true artists sketch pad but the cover of the sketch pad is Addison's artwork that she painted at school.  She kept stammering, "How did he??" So we were puzzled and asked her what was going on and she could barely tell us that she had just painted this at school and how did Santa do that??

It was such a special gift, the cover even said, "artwork by Addison Boskovich"   That Santa is a pretty amazing dude.

 

Another present that made Addison squeal, that is a whole pile of felt that she is clutching to her chest.  She can sew to her little heart's content.  Thank you Santa!

 

 

Now that is some joy.  She was shouting, "Thank you Santa!!!"

It is a Snoopy snow cone maker.  Yeah, thanks a lot Santa...eye roll.  

 

Legos, Luke can never have enough.  

 

Amelia wanted new fuzzy boots for the two times a year it gets cold here.  Ha!

 

More pure joy from Addison!

 

A COTTON CANDY MAKER!!!!

THANK YOU SANTA!!!!

 

Sweet Amelia posing and then there is Addison.  Sigh.  Little sisters.  I am sure Amy and Traci could relate.

 

Amelia was thrilled with her True Grit jacket.  It is all the rage in the middle school, it is a super fuzzy jacket...again, for all the cold weather we have here in Mississippi.  

 

But look how cute she is in it :)

The kids enjoyed all their Santa presents and a delicious breakfast and  then we went to worship and give thanks for our Savior being born and to enjoy the real reason we get to celebrate Christmas.   

Then it was back to the house to open all of the gifts their generous family had sent them.  Thank you everyone!  They loved everything!

Then we headed to Grandpa's for Christmas dinner followed by collapsing in our beds.  

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve!

 

Another Christmas Eve means another Christmas Eve party on "the Lane."

Some traditions like the girls sleeping in rollers the night before so they have pretty curls still stands.  Other traditions, like having Luke wear a cute Christmas outfit have been broken.  Considering he spends the entire Christmas Eve party with his friends playing soccer and football and this particular Christmas Eve was 70 degrees, we were just glad to slap some deodorant on him before he changed into nice clothes for Christmas Eve church.   

 

I can still entice one of my kids to wear cute Christmas outfits.  And Addison has about 20 of them!

 

Addison was performing some song to the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake we get every year.

 

Nell and I needed a pre-party beer this year but the party went off without a hitch.  Well, a few hitches, like a stained blouse and a burnt hole in the tablecloth as I ironed it.  But, despite that we had a great time with all of the church families that spent Christmas Eve with us and there was laughter and joy all around which is why we have the party in the first place.   

We were lucky enough to have about 25 families celebrate with us as we enjoyed soup, chili, and lots of goodies. 

 

Some quick pictures before the craziness began.  

 

 

 

Addison has such fun with her sweet friends, Abby and Izzy.

 

Besides football and soccer, ping pong was a big hit this year.

 

We have been having this party for so long, it has become a tradition for so many families to come to our house for Christmas Eve and I love to hear the stories about previous years and how our friends kids always make sure they are coming to our house for Christmas.  It is so special to hear and our kids LOVE this party.  It has been bittersweet to watch my kids turning into the "big kids" at the party.  They used to be the little ones, that the big ones would come and play with.  Now my kids are playing with the new generation of babies at our church.  So sweet, to see them grow up together.  

Here Amelia is playing with sweet Maggie, our youth pastor's  little girl, who is about to be a big sister any day now!

 

Max and Luke who were dripping wet with sweat by the time we needed to leave for church.  Look at sweet Max.  We suggested maybe a quick shower before church and he looked at us with horror and said, "A shower?  Why would we need a shower?"

I guess Jesus was born in a stinky stable so we could sit next to our stinky boys at Christmas Eve church.

 

It is definitely a tradition to have the kids sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and it is so sweet, I will still make my kids do it when they are 30.  

 

LIzzie, Phoebe and Amelia playing with little Beau Ryan, who is about to be a big brother AGAIN any day now!

We have LOTS of pregnant bellies at our church. 

 

And look at Lizzie and Amelia, not that many years ago at this same party!  Stop getting bigger!!  

 

These big kids!!!  

Mckenzie, Hayden and Amelia have gotten to be so old!  Teenagers!

 

Look at them just a few years ago!  

 

We barely had time for some family pictures this year and the curls have all fallen out due to the humidity but it was a very Merry Christmas Eve indeed!

 

Mckenzie, Amelia, Hayden, Sophie and Ben, love these kids.

 

After a beautiful Christmas Eve service including our favorite Silent Night by candlelight it was back home to get ready for Santa to come visit!

Merry Christmas Eve!

December odds and ends

 

Three kids in three schools means LOTS of Christmas parties and I swear they each needed some snack or donation or present everyday in December.  

I helped in Addison's class for her Christmas party and we made these cutie Reindeer ornaments.  

 

Addison and Ms. Everitt snuggling.  

 

It is definitely tradition to bake Christmas cookies with the kids and man did we bake this year.  So many dozens of cookies that we lost count.  

They are pro cookie bakers by now and we have the process down pat.  

 

Time to frost and decorate!

 

The kiddos had a tennis Christmas party at the club and had fun in the photo booth, making crafts and decorating cookies.  

 

Goofballs.