Our Family Traditions

7 years ago when Jeremy and I married we made the decision that we wanted to be home on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning if at all possible. We also started our own little Christmas tradition of going to our church's Christmas Eve candle lighting service and then dinner at a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. 7 years later we've done it every year and this was the first year that we did it as a family of 5! My mom and Papa Steve joined us as well and we had a great night. All the kids loved the Hibachi and of course James talked our cooks ear off asking 1000 "why's" and John-Mark barely moved as he watched closely everything that was happening. Gracie was a trooper as well and just loves being with everybody!

James trying out the chop sticks -

After a fun night we came home and started a new tradition - my mom and Papa Steve gave the kids a recorded book of them reading the Christmas story - it was so sweet to watch them listen to it and realize who was telling the story. (Gracie was already down for the night but she'll love this next year too!)

We have a family tradition of celebrating everyone's birthday with cupcakes for breakfast. We've been talking for weeks about Jesus' birthday being Christmas and James has been ready to celebrate!! I know they don't fully get what we're talking about but it's a start. A few nights ago Jeremy stayed up late building a train table for the boys and left his tools laying out and the next morning when James got up and saw them he asked "what are you making for Jesus' birthday?"
So, this morning the first thing we did was sing Happy Birthday Jesus and enjoy some yummy cupcakes :) Having not grown up in a Christian home these are things that I am so excited about sharing with my babies and I pray they will be traditions that they cherish when they have children of their own one day.
After that it was time to open their presents - more pictures of that to come :)

Merry Christmas!

My heart is so full with love for my family and thankfulness for my Savior -
"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19