{Christmas Break}

Remember my friend Gena who lives out here in Iowa with me? Remember how my brother Jeff married her sister and how we didn't even set them up? Crazy. But anyway, our siblings came out to visit us all for Christmas and we had soooo much fun with them! Every time family comes to visit me out here I remember how blessed I am to be in a family that loves me enough to visit me hundreds of miles away. They drove all the way from Austin, Texas and we couldn't have been more excited.

Ryan and I decided to test out a possible new Christmas Eve tradition this year. Growing up we always had a nice dinner on Christmas Eve, but we decided to kick it up a couple notches from what we normally do. Get a few families together, along with a couple of fondue pots, and what do you have? One amazingly awesome, four course fondue dinner! Ryan and I had a good time figuring out what dippers and sauces we wanted to do and preparing it together the day of.

We started out with spinach artichoke cheese fondue and fiesta cheese with some vegetables, apples, and breads for dipping. Next we had a yummy salad. For the main course we made a "Mojo Fondue Broth" and had steak, shrimp, pork, and chicken for the dippers. And the final, most awaited and loved dish of the night, was the caramel and chocolate dessert fondue. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Yummmmm. For that we had strawberries, bananas, brownies, marshmallows, pretzels, and rice krispy treats as our dippers.

We made the kids their own cheese fondue and put them in little cups for them to dip. Their dippers consisted of apples, vegetables, and pretzel hot dogs.

The night was a success and could not have been spent with better friends and family then right here. I can't believe this will be our last Christmas in Iowa. It breaks my heart to think we won't be with all of them next year :(

After everyone went home we ended the night  with reading about the birth of Jesus in the scriptures. We then read Twas the Night Before Christmas, set out milk and cookies for Santa, and then it was off to bed . . . for the kiddies. The rest of us stayed up chit chatting and getting our Christmas breakfast ready for the morning. I have never felt more appreciative to my mother and mother in-law as I have this holiday season. Feeding friends and family for the holidays is TOUGH work! There's Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and then New Year's! By the end of it all I was ready to retire from cooking. And my mom always made it looks so easy, meanwhile I am running around like a stress case hollering orders at people. Maybe someday I will look more . . . experienced ;)

Santa did indeed make an appearance in the Pettit house this year leaving the kids everything they had asked for. Adalee has been asking for a stick horse unicorn for months now and was beyond thrilled to see that Santa actually brought her one. Eli never did tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, but I think Santa had a pretty good idea of what this little boy would like so he gave him several shake n' go cars.

Next year we will have to tell Santa that Eli would be just as happy to receive a box full of candy canes as he would be to receive some fancy shmancy toy ;)

The kids were spoiled by all. Grandma's, Grandpa's, Great Grandpa's, Great Grandma's, Aunt Hayley, and Uncle Jeff, cousins, and by their Mama and Daddy. They sure do have lot's of people who love them!

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Hayley were so nice to bring presents for these kiddies. Addy loves her "Doctor Dog" and they both love building towers with Eli's first set of legos!

The most anticipated gift as well as the most time spent making gift was the AMAZING train table that Ryan made for Eli. He spent several weeks out in our cold garage hard at work making it. And boy did it pay off. Not only is it the sturdiest, best looking train table ever, it is also the most loved gift this little boy received this year. He has spent many hours zooming cars around the track on it, and even more pushing his trains on train tracks that him and his Daddy build together. This is going to be the gift that keeps on giving for years to come and I'm glad this little guy has a Daddy thoughtful enough to make it for him. 

 

Addy's gifts this christmas were: Leap Tag Pen and Books from Gma and Gpa Pettit along with an outfit, Doctor Dog from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Hayley, Dress Ups from her cousin Ammon, a Petshop Tree House from Gma Ginny and Gpa Doug along with the movie Madagascar, the movie Brave from us and an owl beanie, and a travel game from her cousins Troy and Tucker.
 

Eli's gifts this Christmas were: Leap tag Pen and Books from Gma and Gpa Pettit as well as a tiger shirt (he raars ever time he sees it), trains from his cousin Logan, a Baby Einstein book, Stacking Blocks, and a game from us, Legos' from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Hayley, and a cars race track from his cousins Troy and Tucker, and his train table was from Gpa Doug and Gma Ginny as well as from us.

Like I said, SPOILED.

While Jeff and Hayley were here for the week we went out to dinner at a Thai Curry place, went to the movie Jack Reacher, played games, and went bowling. It was so great having them here and I'm glad that they each have a sibling living in Iowa to give them enough insensitive to make the long drive out here :) We felt so loved! A Very, Merry, Christmas it was.