Christmas Cheer

Hope, peace, joy and love - the themes of advent.  I pray that my children experienced these gifts this holiday season.  Our Christmas festivities kicked off on Thursday with a relatively new annual tradition - dinner at the Shreveport Club.  I can remember going pre kids so it's something we've been doing at leas 7 years.  Since having kids, I think we've had the same Santa Clause in attendance so it's been fun to see their reactions to the big, jolly man evolve as well as how much bigger they get sitting on his lap each year!

On Christmas Eve, we went to church for the traditional Lessons and Carols service.  Again, something I've done since I was little but I was struck how far we've come in the past few years from crying babies to a couple of six year olds that can read the words out of the hymnal as we sing.

Our annual Christmas Eve photo - missing Rebekah and Dave

Christmas morning began very early with Haley bouncing into the living room around 3:30 a.m.!  It was slightly endearing to hear the excitement in her voice as she called for others to join her to see Santa's goodies, but that was entirely too early so we wrangled everyone back to bed and we were able to sleep for 3 more hours, thank goodness.

After opening gifts we went to church for what was a beautifully wonderful celebration of Jesus' birthday. 

Following the service we headed to my grandparents house where we met up with my parents, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins to eat brunch and commence the gift giving/receiving fun!  After a morning full of fun, everyone departed ways for a few hours to rest and to recuperate.  We went back to my grandparents' house later that evening to enjoy dinner together as well.

We are a very blessed family in that we are close by the proximity of our homes (our house, my parents' house, my aunt & uncle's house and my grandparents' house are all with in a 1 mile radius - we could walk if need be!) and we are close by virtue of our love and the family tie that binds.  I have experienced the last 34 Christmases in that very same den and look forward to many more to come!  We certainly missed my sister and brother in law but so look forward to this time next year when they and their new baby girl will be there to join us (Avery is to make her debut in February!!)!

4 generations of Talbots

Santa had a long morning - checking out my cousin's new bottle of whiskey!