Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

The Big Week Finally Came!

We have done so many Christmas activities this month, that we were ready for Christmas Day. 

We started the week off with a double feature: A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch.  The Bohls go to the same showing as us every year, and we have started making this movie date a Christmas Tradition.  

London Feeding the Twins

That's Why They Love Her ;)

Feeding Daddy is Funny

"Brown! Brown!!!!"

So Excited

A Little Unsure

Love This Christmas Tradition

You can hear all the excitement from the kids in the theater.  And when the Grinch came on, all the kids started singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."  While everybody else kind of trailed off, Barrett sang every single word of his favorite Christmas song.

The plan was to keep everybody awake during nap time so they would sleep in the car on the way to Gamma and Poppy's .

My Plan Backfired

Sweet Little Elves

Chic-Fil-A Dinner Before Our Road Trip

Once we made it to Gamma and Poppy's the kids played and played and played and played. We also went to look at some Christmas lights at a local park as one last family Christmas activity.

Our Favorite Christmas Toy

Barrett noticed that Jesus isn't in the Grinch story.  He decided that the Grinch needed to learn about Jesus since he already learned that Christmas doesn't come from a store.  Sweet boy pulled the Grinch into a chair with him, wrapped his arms around him, and sang "Away in a Manger" to his stuffed Grinch toy.  I wish we had gotten this on video.  It was ADORABLE.  

A local park by Gamma and Poppy's house used to put up a Christmas light display every year when I was growing up.  They stopped doing it for a while, but they year the park was lit up in all its Christmas glory!  Not only did the kids have fun, but it was a trip down memory lane for me too.  

Back in Gamma's kitchen, we attempted to make cookies for Santa.

The next morning we had to patiently wait for our cousins to get there so we could get started with Christmas Eve!  Including decorating those cookies for Santa!

Can't Contain His Christmas Excitement

Can You Find His Cookie?

It's under the mountain of chocolate candy and sprinkles on that plate .  Hope Santa Can Find It!

Parker's Cookie Didn't Have Time to Be Decorated Before It Was Demolished

Payton Decorated ONE Cookie Before She Started Eating

Cousins

"I Think Santa is Going to LOOOOOVE These Cookies Mommy!"

One Last Christmas Movie With the Cousins

This Girl Loves Her Aunt Alli

Payton Got a Little Jealous

Christmas Eve Service with five tiny humans did not disappoint! We went through alllll of the feelings of having the whole family together, frustration of trying to keep the kids quiet, and emotional about watching Barrett singing with us to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Family Selfie

Great-Grandma Was With Us Too!

My Family In Church .... We Didn't Draw Any Attention to Ourselves

Children's Church On the Stage

Hugs from Gamma

Singing "Ohhhh Come Let Us Adore Him"

I just watched him as he stood on that pew, candle in his hand, and belted this part of the song out.  He only barely understands what he's singing about, but you could tell, by his body language, that he knew it was something important.  It touched my heart so deeply to see my little boy singing to Jesus like this that my eye filled out with tears.  Thank you, Barrett, for giving me that special Christmas Eve moment that I will never forget.

I Mean .... Come ON!

How Cute Is This?

Mommer Patsy with Her Greats

Payton and Daddy

Parker and Daddy

Each Kid Had a Santa Filled with Pre-Christmas Surprises

Christmas Eve Surprises from Gamma

"I'm a Dad Now That I Have a Watch!"

Hahahaha What?  Matt doesn't wear a watch.  I wonder where he got that idea from.

Obligatory Christmas Eve Family Picture


Christmas Morning these kiddos woke up ready to GO!

Waiting for His Sisters

Here They Come .... Slowly

 Thank Goodness Santa Remembered the Ninja Turtle Umbrella!

 And Princesses and Dinosaurs for the Twins!

Daddy Christmas Snuggles

 I Think He Likes His New Toys!

Checking Out Baby Taylor's New Toys

 They Loved Their "Elsa" Skirts

Twincesses and Their Stockings

Watching The Octopus Crawl

Still Watching that Octopus On the Door

Snow White Likes to Snuggle

 Walking Their Cousin Dog, Sampson

Christmas Day Picture

My Boys

We hit the road again to end the day at Nana and Papa's House.

 We Kinda Wish We Were Taking a Christmas Nap Like Kids 

At least they got some rest and were ready to go for another Christmas round!

 She Perked Right Up Once She Woke Up Completely 

 Barrett and Nana

Twin Cookie Patrol on the Couch

More Interested in Cookies Than Presents 

 Hungry Hungry Hippos Was Matt's Favorite Game as a Kid

 Parker's Two Favorite Things: Elsa and Aunt Mary

Santa had one more surprise for the kids when we got home.  And so did I apparently :)

One Last Present for the Wilson Christmas Elf

Our Last Christmas Image Before The Kids Headed to Bed

We had a great Christmas!  I think I subconsciously have been waiting for my kids to be exactly the ages they are during a Christmas season.  We may have gone a little overboard with all of our celebrating all month long, but we also felt Christmas magic the entire month of December.   I've had a few Christmases where Matt and I had to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and just "get through it."  

And this is the Christmas I was waiting for: watching all the kids react to Christmas lights, Santas, and Christmas trees, playing in Christmas themed play grounds, growing Candy Canes, having fun at puppet shows and story times with Santa and Mrs. Claus, family snuggles while we were watching Christmas movies.  Hearing Parker yell "Santa! HO! HO! HO!"  Watching Payton mimic the motions Barrett did while he sang "Away in a Manger." Listening to Barrett sing songs about Jesus Birth in that sweet little voice.

The Bible stories and songs that we did each night with the kids before we went to bed is probably my favorite memory from this Christmas though.  All of us piled into Barrett's bed for a Bible Story.  The girls barley paid attention. And Barrett kept telling his sisters to stop and be still. 

 But each night, after the story, Barrett would ask his daddy to tell him what happened .... just to make sure he understood it.  And all five us us would pray together.  Then we let the kids pick which Christmas songs we sang.  This is the first year that Barrett knew the all the words to most of the Christmas songs we sing in church. Listening to his sweet little voice sing while his sisters watched him with curious eyes (and picked up a few lines of each song as week) and soaked it all in are moments that I hope I never forget.