After our awesome ham with all the fixins, we talked and talked. We decided that it had been YEARS since it was just our family for Christmas Eve. We always have at least someone there. Of course Grandma lives with us and she is no doubt a part of our 7 which makes us 8. It is such a HUGE blessing to have her at the table and living here with us - I don't know a more wonderful, loving person than my Momma. She just laughs and gets the biggest kick out of her grandkids. So we did our highs and lows like always and everyones was the same. High is Sarah is home and our low is she is leaving again. Other then Liv's low was her outfit she was wearing! HA!! So after great memories around the table we cleaned up for the Gingerbread House Competition. We were actually suppose to do this the night before while Austin was here but Sarah, Liv and I messed those plans up with staying gone to the mall to late and sneaking off to Pei Wei - which we were almost crucified for. We hated the Austin didn't get to compete because if you know him you know there isn't anyone as competitive so it could have gotten ugly. Maybe it was the Lord he wasn't here. NO, it would have been more complete if he was. SO, the teams were as follows (made up by Grant). Team WINNER was Ray, Liv and Grant -- Team Whiner was Sarah, Hannah and Rachel. Well it was going all great. There really isn't anyone probably as artsy in our family as Ray so he is always a good 1 to have on your team. They started slow and Team Whiners thought they had it in the bag. They didn't reinforce their roof quite so good so when they thought they were doing GREAT - the roof came sliding down. UT-OH!!! So Team Winner laughed at their misfortune and Team Whiner tried to regroup and see where they went wrong. Here are some pix. of the Baker Gingerbread House Competition -- OH, and the winners were TEAM WINNER!! YAY!!! With a name like that they couldn't go wrong!
So dinner was done - CHECK -- Gingerbread houses were done - CHECK -- next in the life and times of The Bakers was our story time. One of our many traditions is to read the Christmas story out of the Bible and a Christmas book some time in the evening. I try to buy a book that is a great story of course. Ray always reads it to us all and the kids USUALLY listen to their Father like they have all their lives. This year was DIFFERENT. Sarah and Liv should have been split up because they would have an outburst of laughter - not at the appropriate time. I actually found out later that they were texting during the CHRISTMAS BOOK reading! A NO, NO but it was cute too. I am just as bad as them I think. SO, the book wasn't as big a hit as years past but lil' Grant was up in his Daddy's lap helping him read the big words-HA and correcting him if he got 1 WORD out of place! But at the end of the story Grant was TORE UP! He went quickly into Grandma's room and comes out red faced. Someone asked him what was wrong and he let out a HOWL--that book was SO SAD and SWEET!! It was priceless, he is SO PRECIOUS with his sensitive but not to sensitive self. He was really moved by the story and it spoke to his little heart and spirit. Where were we and what book was it because the rest of us didn't get it. The girls distracted me so we will blame them. I am still gonna re-read that story because I know I missed some good stuff. SO, that finished that. Here are a few pix. of that and some modeling of the UGLY p.j.'s!
Well that wrapped up the Christmas Eve activities. So we got Grant off to bed and the rest of us settled in for our 4th Christmas movie in 3 days. I think it was Elf - see I can't remember and it's been 4 days. I think we watched Elf, White Christmas, Christmas Vacation and Santa Clause 3 OH, # 5 was Tis the Season or something like that. I was Christmas movied out and I didn't usually make it through them. Grant of course couldn't go to sleep so he was up till 2ish and Sarah, Liv and I were up again till SO LATE or early! Next blog will be Christmas. YAY!!
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