Christmas Weekend

Our Christmas celebrating began officially on Christmas Eve because Jeff took the day off and we were ready to party! 

We decided to take the girls to Seattle for fun.  They LOVED the bus ride into the big city and were so excited for this adventure! 

 We had fun seeing all the holiday decorations and being a part of the festive atmosphere.  A perfect way to begin the Christmas weekend! 

 We walked around Westlake and saw the view from above after taking Brielle on a potty break to the Westlake Mall.  

 We took the girls on the carousel.  It was fun for them, but I honestly think they enjoyed the bus ride better! ha ha. 

We went home and got the girls down for naps.  

I spent the afternoon busily preparing yummy food for company that evening.  

Of course, it's not Christmas without my traditional baklava! Yummy.  

 I tried a new recipe for pork tenderloin. Boy, it was good and gobbled up fast! 

 Here's our spread....

 We invited the Elders over as well as the LeSeur family.  It was fun to have them all with us on Christmas Eve! 

We ate dinner together and played a game.  I had contacted the Elder's parents and asked them about their Christmas traditions.  We then had to guess which tradition went with which Elder.  It was fun, and we got to know them better that way! 

Then it was time for a sing-a-long.  I got Jeff to pull out his guitar (I'm always looking for excuses to see him play it!) and we had some kid's musical instruments for everyone else. We sang Christmas songs together and had fun. 

The kids sure liked it! They were dancing along with the music sometimes. 

The Elders gave us a spiritual message, we had dessert, and then it was time to say goodbye for the evening.  

We put the girls to bed and we stayed up getting all the presents out and finishing touches put together. Jeff set up the train set: 

We put a few presents under the tree, and a doll house in the corner.  I've been hiding it for a few months after getting it from a friend.  The girls have played with it before, but I think they'd forgotten. :) I got little furniture and a few dolls to go with it. We also got the girls little chairs to sit in while we read books.  Here's our Christmas Eve set-up! It didn't take long, and it was a fun night for Jeff and I as we anticipated the next morning. 

The girls woke up at 8am like normal.  They knew something was happening, but aren't at the age where they can't sleep because Santa is coming! ha ha.  So we enjoyed getting to sleep in and have a lazy morning. They came out into the room and had such a surprise! They looked at the train set first going around and around...and then moved on to the dollhouse where they spent most of the day playing.  It's a hit! 

I like playing with them...

They liked their chairs and have enjoyed hanging out in them. I made a yummy cinnamon roll breakfast with bacon and fruit.  We stuffed ourselves. 

And then it was time for a special break in our Christmas morning....a video call from Mike in Ireland on his mission! It was such a great chat, and he looked and sounded so great. He has a great companion and has had some great success lately.  It was inspiring to hear what they've been up to, and I love that we can see him through video chat!! What amazing modern technology.  

We said goodbye too soon, and then it was off to open presents and stockings:

Rosalyn wasn't interested in seeing what was in her stocking.  She wanted to keep playing with the doll house.  So Brielle was happy to oblige.  She took all of the things in Rosalyn's stocking and transferred them to her own stocking.  And then proceeded to open it up.  It was so funny! Smart girl! 

They got their favorite things: play-doh, coloring books and dinosaurs to play with. 

We were all tired after such a fun morning, and took a nice nap.  We did a video chat with Jeff's family while I got everything packed and ready to go...and we left for Olympia to be with family for the rest of the weekend.  

When we got there, Rosalyn was in love with the little Christmas village my Mom has.  She will be able to play with it more when she's older...it's a little too breakable for a 2 year old now! 

We were greeted by a happy little elf named Claire! (she's going to die I put this picture on my blog. But she's so cute!) 

We got everything ready for a yummy Christmas dinner.  Nothing but the best at the Bates house! It included seared filet mignon...roasted with a blow torch by Dad! Hilarious. 

Yummy food, great company! 

Kate and Jeff had fun after dinner playing Christmas games. 

And then it was time for our gift exchange.  We make homemade gifts each year and are assigned a new person each year.  This year I had my Mom.  

I first gave her garland made out of plastic bags.  Ha ha...she loves plastic bags! They aren't allowed in stores in Olympia, and she misses them terribly! So now she has a full supply. 

Then I gave her the real present...a 2016 family calendar! It was so fun to make. I can't wait to see it when I go to the house. 

My parents gave the girls Anna and Elsa dolls...they are a hit! They sing and light up.  What more could a toddler want? They've gotten a lot of use since they got them. 

The next day, Saturday, we hung out at the house and played games. The girls wore their matching clothes they got from Jason & Lori.  So adorable! 

My parents watched the girls while the rest of us went to see Star Wars.  It's all the rage right now, and we had to see why! 

We really liked it and would recommend it for sure. 

Sunday, we went to church at Jeff & Kate's ward and then drove home from there.  

It was a fun Christmas weekend, and we felt so grateful for the blessings of our Savior's birth and all the celebrations that go with it.