Christmas Eve

After so much traveling the past couple of months we were content to stay home this Christmas and enjoy some family time. The time is coming all too soon when our spoiling of Shore Duty and school is going to end and it will be back to Sea Duty and long separations so we want to make the most of it while we can.

The boys and I enjoyed the week off from school making gingerbread trains and having popcorn/movie days while we had a torrential downpour of rain for days on end. Thankfully by Christmas Eve the rain had stopped and we were able to get out and enjoy some Christmas lights!

Before the lights though we made half a dinner for a family for church who needed the extra Christmas love. Ian and I heated and made a glaze for a ham, cooked a turkey roast, made a green bean casserole and some pumpkin cookies. Then Ian, Jacob and Nathan met our friend at the people's house who had the other half of the dinner and they dropped it off. Ian said the wife sobbed when she saw all the food. I think it was a wonderful thing for the boys to experience, giving to others who need us if not temporally but spiritually.




While they were playing the part of "elves" I got homemade calzones together for dinner. YUM! We all loved them. Ian said he thinks we should have those more often rather than pizza even. Owen just loves pizza period so he was one happy camper:) After dinner we headed out to search out some Christmas lights. I had heard about a certain house not too far away where the parents, as a labor of love for their two Autistic sons create a HUGE light display each year. It was amazing, set to music and even had a Santa coming to the window "ho ho hoing" (a large TV I assume). The boys were enthralled! We found two other houses on an Internet list including one that had a huge Frosty which Owen LOVED and was screaming "foty toe man foty toe man" over and over between "let me OUT" :) He wanted to go see Frosty! and a house that was Toy Story themed. It was a fun outing that we all enjoyed. It reminded me of when I was a kid and my dad would take us girls out to look at lights while Santa, "AKA MOM" was at home getting presents ready. Thankfully I had everything set so I was able to enjoy the outing too!







We got lucky and all three boys went right to bed. Then it was time to "help" Santa get presents and stockings ready and put together the Tee Pee Nana sent the boys. I think Ian had just as much fun in it. You tell me??