I had a nice and relaxing birthday this year, even getting to sleep in while Shane made me some delicious crepes for breakfast. The boys each drew me some cute cards, and I opened some gifts from friends and family. The boys each chose a game to play, and there were prizes for the winners. Davis chose to play a bean bag toss into various sized bowls, Landon chose catch the football in the beanbag, and James chose to play hide-and-seek.
Later that night, we began our Christmas Eve celebrations with our traditional ham and potato casserole dinner, with Shane’s layered red and green Jell-o and homemade rolls. We had my favorite razzleberry pie for dessert for my birthday “cake.”
After dinner, we had fun singing some Christmas songs together and opening the last advent ornament. We all dressed up in our costumes to act out the nativity. James had been asking to be Joseph for weeks, and he wanted me to be Mary. Landon, Kelly, and Grandpa Malan were the wise men, and Davis and Asher were the shepherds, although Asher took his costume off before we could get any pictures of him.
While they put on their PJs, Shane hid their wrapped books in the front room. They were excited for their new Christmas books to read on Christmas Eve.
I read them the last chapter of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to them after tucking them in to bed. They all wanted to sleep together in Landon’s room. I love that book, and I always get a big emotional for some reason when Imogene is crying while acting out Mary in the pageant. I read this book to Camille every year when I was younger, and it’s fun to continue the tradition with the boys.
