Christmas Eve

Another full and busy day! Dana and Colie came over in the morning and Dana painted all our nails. We all got sparkly red nail polish for Christmas. She also painted the girls nails a sparkly pink nail polish. As soon as my nails were dry I made a couple batches of sugar cookies. Then we had a girls lunch. Mom, Colie, Dana and I snuck out to Red Robin. We split 2 salads and an order of fries...so yummy!! From there we all rushed home to get ready for the Christmas Eve service at church. Our church had two services...one at 4 for people with little kids and one at 11. The girls loved it. They loved being part of the "big" church and getting to sing Christmas carols. From there we came home and loaded the car up with presents and packed an over night bag so we could spend the night at my parents' house. Now they only live 2 miles up the road but we all decided to have an "old fashioned" Christmas this year. When my parents lived on their farm in Virginia we would all come from where ever we were and stay in their house for Christmas. Since Necole has been in Alaska for 3 years we haven't had a Christmas with the whole family together. This year, we were all together! Anyway...when we got to my parents house there was chili on the stove and cornbread in the oven. Before we ate dinner I made up some frosting for the sugar cookies I made and everyone decorated the cookies so we could leave them out for Santa.

As soon as the girls were done decorating, they got on their Christmas pajamas and we had to throw the Magic Reindeer Food(from grandma) on the grass. Supposedly you sprinkle this stuff all over the lawn and when the reindeer come within a 100 miles they smell it and come to your house first. After you sprinkle it you're supposed to go right to sleep so they don't come to your house and find you awake and then have to leave. 

 Heidi was very excited if you didn't notice. :)  

 Shane pouring the reindeer food into their hand. It really just looked like ground up oatmeal. 

They didn't get the whole rushing to sleep cause Sanata was coming. They did not want to go to bed!! We finally got them to sleep, ate our amazing dinner and started playing Santa. I have to say that being the grown up is so much more fun that being the kid who has to go to bed early on Christmas morning!! By the time we were finished setting everything up it was after midnight and we headed to bed. The house my parents live in now doesn't have as many rooms as the farm did. We got the room with all the kids. Shane and Nat and I got the bed (Nat was supposed to have the floor but she kept asking to get in bed with us) and Heidi, Gracie, Luke and Matthew were on the floor. I spent my night back and forth between the bed and the floor cause Heidi kept crying because she would wake up not knowing where she was. Lets just say I didn't get a whole lot of sleep!