My in-laws have been very gracious to us, over the last two or three years, to host Christmas Eve dinner. If I had to fit in another homemade meal, table setting, or prepare for company on top of all that we have going on, I think I would crack. Hahah. spend the month of December trying to stay on top of it all and then the week after Christmas I spend an entire week cleaning/organizing, catching up on my sleep, and undecorating. Christmastime like a part time job.
This year, my kids truly needed their wallets to be reloaded. They LOVE gifts, but they also have so many wants throughout the year and we just can't buy everything they want. That doesn't teach them the value of a dollar, nor do they appreciate things nearly as much as when they buy it for themselves.
You can tell by my kids' reactions that what was filled inside of their new wallets was beyond impressive.
Their hearts were full and so were their wallets. LOL! Thank you Grandad and Grandnee for the $250.00 that they each received.
The first photo, in this post, was self-timed obviously. I try to capture every moment, with whoever we are with, as we never know when are last days on this earth will be. The photo quality is horrible, but the people in the photo are awesome. I am so thankful to Reid and Renee for raising an excellent son, who provides and loves our family above and beyond.
We had a lovely time at Grandad and Grandnee's home, on Christmas Eve! I was beyond thankful that they hosted a lovely dinner and I could sit still for 2 hours to enjoy PEOPLE and not the hecticness of "The Night Before Christmas!" The table was set beautifully and we had chicken, potatoes, rolls, salad, and I brought a homemade macaroni and cheese!
Before dinner, we had a small photo shoot, haha! The kids tore through their "presents". They each got ONE gift and then Grandad and Grandnee loaded their wallets up with a crazy amount of cash. I hope to take the kids to the mall or to the Friendly Center in Greensboro for a day of shopping.
For dessert, I brought our traditional Happy Birthday Jesus Cake! The kids and I make Him one every year, but it looks a little different. This year, ours had the manger scene on it. I also brought some homemade oreo bark!
We also enjoy spending time with Darren's parents! Wonderful people, great memories...
Mistle Toe and Holly... It was that time again!!! Christmas recital time.
Lilah invited Ansley to watch her perform and I am sooooo glad that she did. Ansley came back stage with me to help get Lilah to pose for back stage pics. Check out the duos outcome!! Whoop, whoop! Get it girl!
The backdrop is just awful, but this recital is always done at Andrew Lewis Middle School, so what can I expect.
They've been friends since birth!
Back stage: Lilah's dance team only has four dance members: Lilah, Claire, Ava, and Lillian.
Back stage, I prepped Lilah's tutu mason jars by filling with jolly ranchers and hershey kisses. See here for more details. #traditions
I didn't take a ton of photos because I wanted to enjoy the show, but I do like to capture a few pictures so Lilah can see what she missed out on!
The photos of Lilah's performances were not that great. I wanted to WATCH her and I also VIDEO recorded her dances (see at the end of this post), so I only grabbed a few photos. Her first dance was a Jazz dance performed to the song, "Deck The House".
Kylie goes to our church and her twin brother also dances. I wanted to capture these pics for her and her father (who also works the show).
At half time, Ansley and I went back stage to take some more photos.
Strike a pose!
Lilah's second performance was a ballet performance and she performed to the song "Let It Go!" It was a beautiful dance!
I thoroughly enjoy watching my dancing queen as she dances for Jesus.
The Grinch!
Grand Finale.
Lilah's biggest fans! Thank you Ansley for capturing this family photo.
And then... time for recital gifts. The boys picked out flowers at Kroger. I loved how they chose Christmas colors.
I gave her a few cute gifts, but nothing MAJOR. I usually save the more special gifts for the Spring recital.
A new ballet ornament for her Christmas tree.
A glittery case for her iPhone (an old phone of mine).
Hershey kiss, candy cane, lip balm.
I am beyond proud of Lilah. She danced so beautifully and I am continually amazed at how brave she is! As usual, I hope she continues with dance through high school and I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses her skills to dance in her future.
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