Just a Bit of Christmas Cheer

Christmas has come and gone. I felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. I'm not ready to give up Christmas music yet, so I keep playing it at dinner time.
We had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I truly love celebrating two birthdays during the Christmas season.
We all got to go out and celebrate Aeva's birthday dinner with her. That was a lot of fun. Then she and Chris went ice skating. She has really been looking forward to that. They both had a really fun time, but I don't think her knees enjoyed it.
Sunday, Rhaevyn gave Aeva her birthday present....................she made her a cake. She did her best to make it look like the ring from Lord of the Rings. Aeva was really surprised!
And now she gets to go to her first church dance on New Year's Eve. She can hardly wait!

 

 

 

  Chris got her a key chain of her favorite Japanese vocaloid singer.

 

 Last Monday a couple in our ward took the girls to try sushi. Rhaevyn stayed with the non sushi food, but Aeva went gung ho. She loved the calamari and even pulled it apart to check out the suction cups on the tentacles............and still ate it. She can't wait to have it again. That was really a fun outing for them.The Monday and Tuesday just before Christmas the kids and I had a great time making and baking treats, and then Tuesday evening we all went caroling together and delivered the goodies. That was so much fun!
We've been enjoying having Chris home, spending time together, and making Christmas memories.
Christmas morning was enjoyable and relaxing. Myles and Elsa were up at 4 checking out their stockings and making sure Santa ate the cookies that had been left for him. It was so much fun to lay in bed and listen to their laughter and squeals of excitement. Once everyone else got up we had a nice breakfast and opened presents. It was sweet watching each child open their presents from their siblings. There were hugs and smiles all around. I think that was the best part. Rhaevyn had been busy for weeks and months whipping up presents for everyone. Everyone loved the things she made for them.
Meg loves her Thomas the train. It is helping her to walk, but what she loves most is to sit and listen to the music it plays and have one of the kids push her around on it.

 This is one of the hats Rhaevyn made for me.

 

 

 Aeva's pencil and pen bag from Rhaevyn.
It's made out of a comic book page and has a plastic/vinyl coating on it.
 Rhaevyn made Elsa Jiji the cat from Kiki's Delivery Service.

 This is Myles's wallet..................also made from a comic book page.

 Chris got a handmade hat from Rhaevyn.......................No Face from Spirited Away.

Myles thought this craftman tool chest was for Chris. He comented how "lucky dad was." Little did he know it was for him. We were very blessed to come by it for free.
He received tools for Christmas and has a nice place to put them all.
 
  Aeva was overjoyed to open one of her presents to find this...........
it's a missionary book in the Japanese language. We think someday she may end up there :)

 Chris picked this out for Elsa. She is the perfect mommy to her baby doll.
I think Meg likes it just as much. She is constantly snatching it to hug and kiss it.

 A bit of Dr. Who Trivial Pursuit.

  Aeva also got some new drawing pens, which she has been putting to good use.

 

 She also got chopsticks. Here she is trying out her Japanese noodle meal.

 Chris took the girls out on a date to see the Hobbit. They've done this the last three years....going together to see the Hobbit movies. They loved it and said they cried their eyes out........the girls that is.

Each Christmas seems to get better. Maybe we are just better at appreciating what is important about this time of year and maybe we are better at making Christmas memories.
And now we look to the coming year. We're excited to see what it holds for our little family.