Christmas Adam and Christmas Eve

 After the Christmas concert, we continued our Christmas celebrations on Christmas Adam and Christmas Eve. 

The morning of Christmas Adam we decorated Christmas cookies, one of my favorite traditions especially now that the kids are older and more helpful. I remember years when they were little, when it felt like too much work and too big of a mess, but they all do such a great job now, and all four look forward to it each December. 

Samuel is our most detailed decorator and the most creative. I always look forward to seeing his designs each year.

They always turn out so cute. The Christmas trees are always my favorite to decorate. 

The kids always enjoy creating gingerbread families. 

A couple of years ago, we started the tradition of hosting a dinner on Christmas Adam with the Millers and Pashkovets. I make chicken noodle soup and we make a big dessert tray with all our Christmas baked goods, and everyone comes over and enjoys a meal, and we usually play some games. 

Last year, Elena had the idea of caroling around the neighborhood, and we continued that tradition this year.

The crazy thing this year was that all the kids were wearing shorts, because the weather was so warm outside. 

After caroling, they came home and played some basketball. Elisabeth also created a Christmas themed mafia game for the kids to play, while the adults laughed a lot playing That's Not a Hat. 

It was such a special evening that we look forward to all year long. 

Our Christmas Eve, our family had a cozy, relaxing day. Our tradition on Christmas Eve is to do our sibling gift exchange. The kids used to buy dollar tree gifts for all the siblings, but recently we began having them draw names in order to get a nicer gift for their sibling. 

Samuel gifted Nathan a model rocket building kit. 

Nathan gave Katherine a Bluey Christmas blanket and a volleyball. 

Her friend Nora has been teaching her a few things about volleyball, and since she didn't have a volleyball, she was practicing with a soccer ball, ha! She was excited to own an actual volleyball. 

Katherine gave Elisabeth Tapple, a game she'd been asking for. 

And Elisabeth gave Samuel a book about Oklahoma scoundrels that they've been learning about in their Pioneer Spirit class. 

They all gave very thoughtful gifts. 

After they opened gifts, we all played Elisabeth's new game. 

They also open a new family game every year. This year I gave them Quicksand, a cooperative, kind of stressful game. We played it a couple of times, but it felt a little intense to play for longer periods. 

Since it was such beautiful weather, everyone was outside riding bikes on Christmas Eve. Wild weather, but no one was complaining. 

We also attended our church's candlelight Christmas Eve service in the afternoon. 

We came home and ate Manicotti for dinner. The kids asked to watch The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to close out our Christmas Eve, and it was a great way to end the night. 

Neighborhood Christmas Concert 2025

 Our sweet neighbor Elena has started a tradition of hosting a neighborhood Christmas party each December. She invites several families from the neighborhood, and our neighborhood crew performs several musical numbers, the gospel is shared, and refreshments and fellowship follow. It feels a bit like a Hallmark movie, and one of the most special Christmas traditions. 

The girls dressed in their Christmas best for the occasion. 

We rehearsed as a group a couple of times the week before the concert, and did one final run through before the neighbors arrived. 

Neighbors and best friends. What a gift!

Katherine and Laura sand "Mary Did You Know." They're getting so big!

Precious!

Nathan doesn't play much guitar anymore now that robotics consumes his life, but he dusted it off and relearned "Jingle Bell Rock" to perform with Daniel.

Samuel opted out of a musical number and read a scripture passage instead. The theme of the concert were the four songs of Christmas- Zechariah's song, Mary's song, the Shepherd's song, and Simeon's song.

The older girls performed a rendition of "Joy to the World," 

And then Elisabeth, Elise, and Laura sang "We Three Kings."

For the grand finale, all the kids performed "Joy" based off of the scripture in Luke of the shepherds' song when the angels appeared. It was such a beautiful song. The kids worked really hard, and sounded wonderful.

After the concert, the kids enjoyed some treats, chatted, and played games. 

We captured a couple of group pictures. It really does look just like something you'd seen on a Christmas movie. 

What a blessing for these twelve kids to grow up together and make these memories. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

 Our December was packet with events and festivities. At the beginning of December, Nathan attended his first winter formal with some of his co-op friends. We had to purchase a suit, and Matt gave him a last-minute hair cut before the big event.

He looked so handsome and grown up. I was more emotional that I expected to be. He's just grown up so fast. I can't get over it. I know I'll blink and he'll be graduated. 

His friend Colt rode along with him for the night. I'm glad he had a buddy to be with.

Nathan took zero pictures, but thankfully, Colt sent him a few. They ate dinner and danced. Nathan asked a couple of girls to dance, and I was proud of him for going out of his comfort zone. Being a guy at these things is tough! He and Colt both came back to the car at the end of the night smiling and saying they were planning to go back next year. 

Samuel and Elisabeth attended a middle school craft day in December and created some really awesome door hangers. Sam especially enjoyed it. Craft days are his favorite days. 

While they were crafting with friends. Katherine and Kyla were enjoying yet another play date together. 

This time they built forts and pretended to be college girls. I love their creativity. 

Katherine picked out this adorable pink suit and had to wear it to choir rehearsal at church. She's so unique in her fashion, and of course she received many compliments. 

Elisabeth celebrated Ace's 12th birthday with a fun party with all her friends. She's had many birthday parties lately. She's such a social girl and brightens up anytime she's around her friends.

We cheered on our basketball player at her first league game of the season. It didn't go well, but jaguar ear headbands make any loss a little easier to bear. 

Serving at Arms Around BA in December is one of Elisabeth's favorite times to serve. She got to help organize all the toys for parents to "shop" for their kids for Christmas. 

The girls sang in the Christmas Show at our church's Christmas event, Christmas on the Hill. 

Such beautiful girls. 

After they sang, they asked to play outside at all the fun events. It was very cold, but they didn't care.

For our last co-op of the year, the kids had the opportunity to participate in a Christmas Marketplace to sell homemade goods. Nathan signed up for a booth and sold 3-D printed novelties. He sold out of almost everything he printed and made a good amount of money. He was very pleased with his little business. 

These girls enjoyed shopping all the booths. 

As our last book in book club this semester, we read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The kids water colored a picture of the lamp post in Narnia while we discussed the book. They all did a great job. 

The girls sang again in church during a Sunday morning service. 

This December has been crammed full of so many activities and busyness that it was mid December, before we finally found a night when everyone was home to watch a Christmas movie. Our first movie of the season was our favorite Eight Bit Christmas. We also broke out our Christmas puzzles. Puzzling while watching a Christmas movie is one of my favorite Christmas activities. 

Katherine's dance class had a little mid year in class performance before Christmas break. 

It was a really cute dance. I've enjoyed watching Katherine improve over the last several years in dance. 

For our December Keepers of the Faith meeting, the girls learned about canning and made a delicious cranberry, jalapeno jelly. We served it over cream cheese with crackers, and it was yummy!

We got a late start, but we still finished three Christmas puzzles before Christmas. 

Elisabeth was excited to attend her first Middle School party. It's a tradition to play Dirty Santa at the party, and this was Elisabeth's first time to play. 

It was a great afternoon. There are so many middle schoolers, and so many great gifts exchanged during the party. 

I thought we were going to miss visiting the Rhema lights this season with all our activities, but we found a night to go. The lights were beautiful, but the crowds were a little overwhelming. 

The kids used to love playing in these circles of lights when they were littler. I have sweet memories of them pretending they were their houses and visiting each other's houses. 

Even with all the busyness and plans every day, December really is the most wonderful time of the year. As the kids get older, I'm savoring the memories even more.