To Indiana we went to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year;)....
First stop: Aunt Abby and Uncle Adam's home for a gift exchange amongst the couples and the kids!
Every year my sister and brother and law host this event as a way to kick off the family time! We each decide on our "favorite thing", but 4 of them, and exchange with each other- boys to the boys and girls to the girls. I LOVE it and it was the perfect way to spend our first evening in Indiana.
Little girls had their own table adorned with their pictures and sweet Christmas trinkets!
Ladies eat in the dining room and the guys were in the living room- ha! I think we were all talking non-stop from the moment we got together- SO FUN!!!!
My fav view: looking down from my sister's stairs to see everyone so excited and cozy around their Christmas tree. I'm a nerd, but family is the best... the amount of Christmas-festivity excitement in that room is BIG!
The next day was Christmas Eve, so it was time to get the lanterns ready to line my parent's part of the street in their neighborhood. Most of the families do it, and it seriously looks so cool when we drive home after church on Christmas Eve... the candle-lit road back to the house- LOVE!
Speaking of church: my girls each chose a family member different from their own parents to sit with during Christmas Eve mass. Little did I know the shenanigans going on in the pew- lol....
found these lovely snapchat pics from Harper and Uncle Aaron on my phone- ha!
We. Tried. So. Hard.
My mom has a beautiful sparkly, silver tree that we were HOPING to get a picture of with the girls. Well this number: Evelyn using one hand to blow a kiss and the other to put her sister in a chokehold while her oldest sister looks adorable.... it was the best we got, folks. Better luck next year?! Or maybe when they're adults?! HA!
We did manage to get a good family pic... thanks to super silly aunts and uncles behind the camera making them laugh- haha!
Christmas Eve fanciness removed... let the shenanigans begin!
Grab Bag!!!!!
Nana and Papa do a grab bag JUST for the grandkids. The girls LOVE it! They love snagging a prize from the bag, unwrapping, and looking to trade! They especially love all the attention they get from Papa....
...Maggie was stealing the show though as she kept crawling over to get another... and another... and another prize from the velvety bag- SO FUN!!!
After grab bag the girls hurried to put cookies and milk out, brush their teeth, and pull up all the blinds in their bedrooms...
they were on the hunt for Santa and Mrs. Claus.
THEY CAME!!
For the fourth year in a row, the girls caught a glimpse of Santa and Mrs Claus walking down Adios Pass. Love the squeals and panic watching them trying to get the best view... get one last wave... get one last look- AHHHHH, Christmas magic- gets me every time).
...and a special thank you to Abby and Adam for making that magic possible. You two are incredible and bring all kinds of smiles to my crew on Christmas Eve.
After we tucked the kids in, we all nestled around my dad and HIS Santa bag full of goodies for the adult grab bag! We all have WAY too much fun with this... maybe it's our competitive nature- all friendly of course, but there is fun to be had swapping and stealing silly gifts from each other. We may all be in our 20s and 30s, but we do love family games.
Speaking of family games...
A HOPEFULLY new tradition took place following: Scavenger hunt!!!
We had to work together as a team of siblings and our significant others to follow clues my parents had laid out to find a "couples gift". The clues were so funny- each significant to one of us. The above clue was my favorite.... leading us to the stairs where Pete had fallen this Thanksgiving and was chanting "It's broke, it's broke" over and over again- haha! So fun.... and I think my favorite part of this years festivities!!!
Oh yes... from toddlers to adults- still posing in matching Christmas Eve jammies.
Christmas Morning!!!
Love these sleepy SUPER EXCITED faces!!!!
Santa Came!!!!!
We spent the morning unwrapping and being genuinely giddy over all the fun of Christmas! Abby and Adam came loaded with Starbucks for everyone- AMAZING....
As the kids played with their new stuff we all snuggled in to watch a video Natalie made: a montage of our family home videos over the years beginning with my parent's wedding. It was so amazing and I think we were all tearing up as much as we were laughing at all the crazy our crew has been the last 30+ years!
Next up: a sweet visit with these amazing folks;).
We showered and packed up to head to Christmas in Cambridge City with Pete's family. They always greet us with a delicious meal, cozy living room, and good stories. This year was no different. Uncle Andy and Britany brought their crew....
safe to say we were all enjoying the family time!
So pretty.... love a festive buffet!!!
"Say Cheese"
My buddy for most of the afternoon. This kid LOVES unwrapping presents- ha!
Silly? I can do silly;). No cute "cheese" face when the camera comes out for this one;)....
Presents!!!!! The kids made out well and had so much fun tearing into everything and playing together!
{Family}
The Lees!!!! All 12 of us;)
The visits are awesome and of course never quite long enough. Thank you, Tom + Darla, for yet another awesome holiday... that chili- YUM!!!!!! Love you guys!
The rest of our visit was spent hanging....
...goofing off
...and spending as much outdoor time as the weather would allow! I swear two of my kids could just live in tents all year long and be perfectly fine...
But Maggie and I prefer the warmth of inside... and Pretty, Pretty Princess. She LOVED playing the game with me and admiring her new look (earrings and all;)) in the mirror!
Spritz cookies were a must for dinner one night. My grandmother's recipe and my all-time favorite dessert- HAD TO. They weren't nearly as pretty as hers, but man oh man... I eat my weight in their deliciousness!
Love and miss you, Gramma!
Fig!!!
Harper LOVED her time with my brother and sister-in-law's dog, Fig. He hasn't grown up with kids and was slightly timid with her at first. She made it her MISSION to change that before the visit was over- I think she succeeded- ha!
Friend time!!
First up: Columbus, IN to see our friends and Harper's Godparents, Kessha, Lonnie, and crew! They took us to the coolest pizzeria winery where we eat WAY too much....
...and then to an interactive children's museum where the kids had a ball!
Friends for years and years and years.... LOVE YOU, Kessha!!!!
Next up: Muncie peeps!!! Christy and I became friends at first sight back in our days at Ball State...
I think it's safe to say the same goes for our children- ha! Harper and Benjamin may only see each other once or twice a year, but they play together like they've been best buddies forever- LOVE IT!! Now we just got to get Evelyn and Ellie on the same wavelength- hehe!
Love you, Christy!! Thank you for being such a great friend and loving my crew like you do.
Brand new puzzle - 7 peeps - 1hr 7min. - DONE
Challenge accepted... hehe! Did I mention we're a competitive bunch?! HA! We spent most of the week with puzzles, but this one we tackled in an evening... some may say competitive.... I say TEAMWORK- hahaha!
And then it was time....
It amazes me every year how Pete manages to somehow put all the puzzle pieces of our Christmas into the van- ha! He could see out of some of the windows, but he safely got us... and our stuff- back home after a long, relaxing, much-needed week in Indy!
Thank you, Mom and Dad, Aaron and Natalie, Abby and Adam, Anna and Tucker for being AWESOME! We love you guys... our kids are obsessed... and we cannot thank you enough for all the fun of this past week- the best time.
Christmas on Grimsdell!
We unloaded the van, started the laundry, and nestled into our beds...
Santa was to make a second loop around to our house since we weren't there on Christmas.
He came!!!!!
{Gumballs and LOL dolls for Evelyn}
{Keyboard and Horses Galore for Harper}
{Leapfrog fun and a new iPad for Maggie}
I think they were pleased;)...
Even Olivia and Norman were treated well this holiday!! Olivia drug her cat nip toy with her everywhere and Norman found all 3 squeakers and shredded his toy by lunch- ha! Good times!
They were busy ALL day!!! No idea why Evelyn is in an anti-clothes phase right now... but it was so fun to just relax, chill, and play all day....
My babies. This tiny frame came all the way from Italy. A handmade frame made by sisters in Italy... bought my mother... given to me... to house my sweet sisters;)....
My favorite gift this year;).
...but another gift. That VIDEO Natalie showed us and how THIS guy was in it!!! I know he's been around awhile, but seeing video of us, college freshman, playing sorry at my parent's house... it was pretty sweet.
Oh how far we have come, Peter Lee. I love you more every day and HOLY SMOKES this wild ride we call life... somehow we manage it all together, smiling and laughing MOST days, but no matter what... we always manage to get back home together.
Love for Indy runs strong with this group. Such a wonderful Christmas...
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