Christmas Eve is always a crazy day around our house cleaning up and wrapping presents. Luckily it isn't as big a job as it is for some people because I usually wrap the presents as I buy them. Here are all of the presents ready to go (yep - still no pictures on the wall in our room. 365 days of pictures to choose from still hasn't changed that):
After losing the vote Saturday night, we watched the Leaf game instead of Elf. Go figure it will not air again before Christmas and I really wanted Ava to see it this year. God bless the people at Zellers because I was able to pick it up two days before Christmas and for only $9.99.
Ava's favourite part:
After that it was time to make cookies for Santa and track his progress on Google Earth which I had never done before and it was pretty cool. Here we are tracking him as he delivered presents to Antarctica at 3:05 pm. Ava is screaming hello to him. :)
Shortly after that we were into the Christmas Eve routine. First the kids each got a pair of Christmas pajamas which is a tradition my parents' still have for my sister and I. Then we were off to church. We being Ava, my mom and I. The boys stayed at home with Daddy.
Here's our church after the family mass. It was a low key and uneventful mass. After all, it's not every year that a drunk guy stumbles in and tries to carry on a conversation with the priest from the back of the church. Those years are few and far between, not to mention hard to top. ;)
Ava was a bit crazy during mass. It was close to bedtime so she was wired and would not listen to a word I said. During the readings she started dancing around in the aisle and almost got run over by Mary & Joseph headed up the centre aisle to the manger. It was at that point I started showing her my cell phone and threatening to call Santa and tell him not to come. Later in the van on the way home we would get into a disagreement over this. Ava told me Santa doesn't have a cell phone. I told her yes he does have a cell and I have the number. At that point she told me she would call him back and tell him to come. I told her I would lock the door. She said she would unlock the door. Anyway...you get the idea.
At that point it was time for an old tradition and a newer one. We ate cinnamon buns and other snacks and then my dad read The Night Before Christmas to the kids. As you can see, two seconds after he started the boys were long gone and Ava was the only one who remained.
Shortly after that, it was time to leave a snack for Santa and it became bedtime exactly three seconds after Ava dropped it on the floor. She went to bed crying and her last words were "I hope I still get a present from Santa." Poor Ava. She really can't handle going to bed late. :(
Here's Owen saying good night to his Nana. All three kids love my parents but Owen has been very attached to my mom the past few months.
I wasn't organized enough to get Ava's letter written and sent off to Santa earlier in the month so we left it with Santa's snack (a glass of milk, three chocolate chip cookies, cheese, pepperoni and some carrots for the reindeer). Next year we will be more organized.
Shortly after that we moved all of the kids' presents downstairs and at that point it was time for me to lie down on the couch and enjoy another new tradition. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on the late channel and falling asleep on the couch.
While I was sleeping, Santa dropped off the kids' presents.
What a busy day. Is it Christmas yet?
Thanks for looking!
After losing the vote Saturday night, we watched the Leaf game instead of Elf. Go figure it will not air again before Christmas and I really wanted Ava to see it this year. God bless the people at Zellers because I was able to pick it up two days before Christmas and for only $9.99.
Ava's favourite part:
After that it was time to make cookies for Santa and track his progress on Google Earth which I had never done before and it was pretty cool. Here we are tracking him as he delivered presents to Antarctica at 3:05 pm. Ava is screaming hello to him. :)
Shortly after that we were into the Christmas Eve routine. First the kids each got a pair of Christmas pajamas which is a tradition my parents' still have for my sister and I. Then we were off to church. We being Ava, my mom and I. The boys stayed at home with Daddy.
Here's our church after the family mass. It was a low key and uneventful mass. After all, it's not every year that a drunk guy stumbles in and tries to carry on a conversation with the priest from the back of the church. Those years are few and far between, not to mention hard to top. ;)
Ava was a bit crazy during mass. It was close to bedtime so she was wired and would not listen to a word I said. During the readings she started dancing around in the aisle and almost got run over by Mary & Joseph headed up the centre aisle to the manger. It was at that point I started showing her my cell phone and threatening to call Santa and tell him not to come. Later in the van on the way home we would get into a disagreement over this. Ava told me Santa doesn't have a cell phone. I told her yes he does have a cell and I have the number. At that point she told me she would call him back and tell him to come. I told her I would lock the door. She said she would unlock the door. Anyway...you get the idea.
At that point it was time for an old tradition and a newer one. We ate cinnamon buns and other snacks and then my dad read The Night Before Christmas to the kids. As you can see, two seconds after he started the boys were long gone and Ava was the only one who remained.
Shortly after that, it was time to leave a snack for Santa and it became bedtime exactly three seconds after Ava dropped it on the floor. She went to bed crying and her last words were "I hope I still get a present from Santa." Poor Ava. She really can't handle going to bed late. :(
Here's Owen saying good night to his Nana. All three kids love my parents but Owen has been very attached to my mom the past few months.
I wasn't organized enough to get Ava's letter written and sent off to Santa earlier in the month so we left it with Santa's snack (a glass of milk, three chocolate chip cookies, cheese, pepperoni and some carrots for the reindeer). Next year we will be more organized.
Shortly after that we moved all of the kids' presents downstairs and at that point it was time for me to lie down on the couch and enjoy another new tradition. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on the late channel and falling asleep on the couch.
While I was sleeping, Santa dropped off the kids' presents.
What a busy day. Is it Christmas yet?
Thanks for looking!
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