Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed a relaxing evening at home. Nicholas and Ella were obsessed with a little barking, back-flipping dog that the Yeomans family sent and spent most of the evening being mesmerized by it. 

Ella's preschool sent her home with reindeer food, so we sprinkled it on the grass outside to illuminate a path for Santa and his team of reindeer.

The kids donned their Christmas pajamas and posed for a few photos together. I heart these. They are my favorite photos of the kids this year:

I love these two more than words can convey

 After a delicious supper of crab bisque, focaccia bread, and a several yummy appetizers, we played a fun kids' board game called Headbands. My kids really enjoy it, although even the adults found it somewhat challenging, so we had to modify it a bit. 

When the game was over, we set out milk and cookies for Santa and tucked the children into bed. My parents and Brett went home fairly early so Jeff and I decided to open our gifts to each other (we only do stockings every year, it's part of that Christmas simplicity I am embracing) and it was so nice to have that time to enjoy and laugh together about each perfectly chosen gift. Then we cuddled up and watched a really good film with Kiera Knightly and Mark Ruffalo called Begin Again. It was the perfect Christmas Eve.