Happy Birthday to Jesus & Christmas Eve

All Christmas festivities were especially fun this year since C really could understand and participate! She knew we were celebrating Jesus' birthday ("Happy birthday cake to Jesus!") so we decided to bake him a cake. She was my willing little helper in the kitchen. She poured in the eggs, oil and water. And it was even more fabulous that Jesus likes the SAME kind of cake I do!! Okay, well I'm sure He would have loved the yellow Duncan Hines cake with whipped chocolate icing and multi-colored sprinkles if it had been available back in His time!

We went out to R's parents' house for Christmas eve and took the cake with us. We had fantastic ham, chips and dips and watched a Christmas classic--"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"--together! After we ate dinner we lit candles and sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" before we tore into the delicious cake! Here's C eating her slice!

SO many of you sent beautiful picture Christmas cards this year, and I want you to know that I enjoyed opening every one! If you didn't get one from us it isn't because you didn't make "the cut"! PROMISE! It is because we didn't send any out. No one wants a picture of big-ole pregnant me on their fridge all year! I promise to send out birth announcements like CRAZY after the boys are born!

I have a scrapbook-type-book that has a page for every year of our marriage so far in it. Each year I put a picture of our Christmas tree and a picture of of our family at Christmas (usually our family Christmas card!) Because we had no family Christmas card this year, we had to take a picture on Christmas Eve so the spot wouldn't be blank for 2009! Here's the best one we came up with...

C is actually smiling (and looking at the camera!!), I don't look too swollen, and R's eyes are open! We're sitting in front of Ryan's mom's pretty Christmas tree! This may be one of our last photos as a family of three!!

Here is the other picture that will go in my Christmas book for this year. We had a fake tree last year but went back to a real one this year. There is nothing like a real tree in my opinion!