Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas! 



Christmas Eve fun definitely wore our 3 out because they actually slept in...Merry Christmas to Kris and I!  These little people can only contain their excitement for so long though... 



Lucky for them, Santa came!

Riley got the doll that she was hoping for 

And Piper got her Minnie Mouse doll house.

And little Livvy with absolutely no expectations was completely thrilled with the new bike that Santa brought for her

There were cardboard pirate ships and board games 

 

and babies balancing on top of packages



 

Piper got her very own baby to snuggle on 

and Kris got a Broncos jersey for a current Broncos player...a big upgrade from his Tebow one ;)

 

Riley could not wait to dive into every single package with her name on it, while Piper was more content than we have ever seen her just to sit and play with her new doll house.  But we took a little break from the fun around our tree to have Christmas breakfast with the Nelsons.  The girls loved that we had their favorite...cinnamon rolls!

And then it was back to opening packages and playing with fun new toys.  Lucky for Piper and Riley, Olivia was not quite as quick at opening her presents and she was okay to have plenty of help from her big sisters.

We spent Christmas evening with my family at Gigi and Pop's house.  The girls had another round of special surprises and lots of time to play and be played with.

Pop put his engineering skills to work and built a fun light switch box for our Livvy who loves to turn things on and off right now

Auntie Kelly made each of the girls their very own tie blanket that they could not wait to snuggle up in

 



And Riley is going to get to learn more about something that she loves...ice skating lessons!

Each year our family grows a little more and every Christmas adds more memories and traditions to the ones that came before.  We are so lucky to have these 3 beautiful girls who make our lives so full and so thankful for the moments we spend with our family and friends. 

 

Christmas Eve

December has been a whirlwind of baking, shopping, wrapping, friends and lots of fun leading up to Christmas and now it's Christmas Eve, a time to slow down and enjoy a very special holiday with our favorite people. 

We love the Children's Mass at church and we particularly love that our Riley sings in the choir on Christmas Eve.  She practices for 3 hours every Saturday for 4 weeks to get ready for this night and we are so proud of her! 

 

 

This is pretty much Livvy's first year of getting to really experience all that is Christmas and let's just say she's a fan.  I absolutely adore the expressions that come out of this sweet girl!

 After Mass, we all headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a mashed potato bar and yummy desserts.  Our girls are so, so lucky to have so many people who love them so much!

 Then we slipped into Christmas jammies before heading home to wait for Santa! 



Santa Party!

How is this the 7th annual Nelson Santa party?!  It's hard to believe that the babies who started this tradition with us are now so big!  I absolutely love this time of year and we look forward to hosting this party and getting the chance catch up with friends and family.  Each year our circle widens with new friendships and family additions and it makes me smile to have so many people who treasure this tradition as much as we do.

As usual, there were lots of yummy sweets to snack on while we waited for the guest of honor to arrive.  At Christmas we do as Santa does...milk and cookies all the way!

 

Santa always arrives to lots of excited squeals and whispers and a sack full of goodies that the kids can't wait to get their hands on. But first...a story.  Twas the Night Before Christmas



  My sweet Riley 

How is she so big on Santa's lap now?

Piper was still suspicious of the big guy this year and so there was no sitting on his lap, but at least she was willing to sit close for a picutre

 

And Livvy was totally interested in the beard and glasses

We have added another little face to the annual Nichols/Nelson kid picture with a new addition, Benny.  We have now 3 perfectly paired opportunities to join our families someday and plenty of adorable pictures for the wedding slideshow :)

Our 7th Santa party was a total success and we are so thankful to everyone who helps to make this possible and look forward to many more years of fun and memories together!