We had a great Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve with my family. That is really "our family night" I love when we all get together. We have so much fun. The tradition goes like this:
1. Dan cooks his great tenderloin meal. He is seriously a great cook and my brothers really look forward to that meal all year. He makes a mean filet!!
2. We play a wicked version of "Lucky Tic Tac" also known as "rob your neighbor" we have a great time playing our games.
3. We then exchange gifts from my brothers and sister and to the kids from each other (basically just not any gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.)
4. We then have dessert and everyone goes home and gets ready for Santa to come. We have a great time on our Family Christmas Eve. It is my most favorite night of the year.

We then go to bed and get ready for Santa. When asked what my kids favorite presents were this year they said:
lexy- her new cell phone. I totally surprised her with that.
Dan- his new Iphone. Also totally a surprise. Benny - Guitar Hero World Tour (full set with drums and everything)
Gracey- Well probably everything, but maybe the barbies, barbie car, and dress up clothes and LEAPSTER!Ally- Same as Gracey probably EVERYTHING! she also really loved her dollies. For sure also the LEAPSTER. Her and Grace have really not put those down. Maybe for a minute to color and then they are off playing again.

CHRISTMAS MORNING
We opened our presents at our house from mom and Dad and Santa and then we headed off to my mom and Dads house. We always have a great breakfast there where my mom cooks her famous scones ( my Grandma Dot always made them for us) we also have ham, potato salad (lex's favorite) and bacon and eggs. It is quite the feast. I love to go over when my mom cooks her famous holiday breakfast. I really need to be able to do that on my own and I have yet to try to do it. I am sort of a wimp with a fryer. I really hate to cook bacon so I am not sure how I would do with scone frying. ( Maybe my sweet hubby will do it for me- Mr. Cook). We then open presents from Grandma and Grandpa. This year ( like every year) they bought us all tickets to go out to Utah to ski. We love to go and stay in Heber and play in the snow. Ben and Lex love to go skiing and the girls love to hang with Grammy and go to Aunt Ritas to play barbies. I really miss living in Utah when I am out there. ( i get to go out there by myself in Feb and I am so excited to see all my old friends and cousins and go shopping.)
My mom and dad gave Lex some uggs this year. I think that was also a highlight of her Christmas. She really loved them. Benny got some Kinex to play with. He loves to build things and the girls got these pimped out art sets. Yea, I say!!!!! Serves me right that my girls like to play art things so much, they would paint all day long if I would let them.
Then we went to the Moores to have fun with the whole family that was in town. Joanna, Ryan, Ellie, Carter, Elizabeth, Bob, Jake, Nanitzi, and Dans Mom and Dad and Sister Hannah, it was a party. The kids love to go over there and play with Ellie when she is in town. We were almost done with the night and then the door bell rang and it was Joseph ( the other cousin from Virginia) with Sarah and Marc. It was fun to have him there. Ally loves to play with Joseph, he is a carefree crazy kid. Crazy funny to watch. It was a great night. We gave gifts, tons of stuff going on there. The girls got their leapsters from Grandma and Grandpa, tons of toys play dough, polly pockets, and fun toys. Benny got a bunch of Bakugon things (I am not sure how to spell those) some DS games and a Brunswick Zone card (he loves that place) Lexy of course got clothes and Jewelery.