Christmas Eve and Morning

After attending Mass on Christmas eve, we came home for dinner. Caroline immediately wanted to place our baby Jesus in the nativity scene, just like our church's nativity scene.

Trying to get small children to pose in their Christmas clothes by the tree... a feat that few can accomplish with nice smiles!

Here's a Christmas eve tradition from my family - after attending Mass on Christmas eve, we would always come home to treats and eggnog while we opened one gift each. We have not yet started the opening a gift tradition but might do that in a year or so.

Caroline's manger which she filled with straw for good deeds throughout Advent is now filled with a soft bed on which the baby Jesus can rest. I put him out after Caroline was in bed, and she awoke to him in her manger in the morning.

Then it was on to gifts... here Caroline helps Cecilia open her book I made for her with photos of each member of the family. I made one for Caroline when she was a baby, but since then, we have added a cousin and an aunt. I also like to have the photos show Cecilia with each family member like Caroline's book showed her as a baby with each family member.

Reading her new book...

Caroline tore into her first gift. We got her three gifts this year, a tradition I hope to keep, as Jesus was given three gifts from the wise men. Plus, we know she will get more gifts from extended family, so this helps us keep to a saner number of presents!

Cecilia with her new toy - a doll with attached wooden teething ring. So far she has yet to teeth on it, although she has put various other less attractive items into her mouth.

Here are Caroline's fairies... she saw them in a catalog a few months ago and mentioned wanting the pink one, so I bought her a set of four. They have taken up residence in her dollhouse.

Cecilia didn't really get into the unwrapping of presents... maybe next year.

Caroline got these baby kitten toys. She doesn't realize she will be getting the parent and older brother and sister cats in the family as a gift from extended family. For now, one of her stuffed cats is their mommy.

Cecilia loved hugging this stuffed bear from Great Grandaddy and Henny!

And Caroline was thrilled to get an umbrella from them!! She had been wanting a little umbrella for months, and I hadn't even told anyone - but Henny somehow knew that Caroline would love it! Now she can't wait until it rains so she can try it out with the matching raincoat!

Now we are in Atlanta for extended family celebrations. Unfortunately, Caroline has a throwing up illness of some type. She threw up once on Christmas morning before we left, but then she was keeping down water and crackers, so we decided to go ahead and come. But she has gotten worse and is just so pitiful. We are hoping to get her better son, but so far, no good :( Poor baby, having to be so weak and sick at Christmas! She's really being a trooper, and Daddy is being a real saint and sitting with her. She was throwing up every 20 minutes at one point!

Hope everyone is enjoying your Christmas!