Christmas time is here!

This year was filled with lots of celebrating the season with both of our families and some fun times and most importantly delicious food (like so much it makes me sick thinking about it!!).

We kicked off Christmas Eve with dinner at my parents house with my immediate family, my grandparents and my uncle.  I volunteered Jimmy to smoke a turkey for the evening.  Not sure how thrilled he was with that task, but I loved smoked turkey, so I wanted him to have a practice run before I selfishly make him make lots for us to eat.  And here it went from early in the morning until around 4:00 when we went over to my parents.  

All seasoned up and ready to cook!

We transported the hot turkey over to my parents house and then Jimmy wimped out and said he wasn't going to cut it...so my dad took over that one.  Look at how cute they are.  Haha.

Overall, it was completely delicious.  BUT - I only got to eat a little bit because I was so freaking stuffed from all the appetizers - check them all out.  Oh and there is my sister.

This is my angry that Jimmy is taking pictures of me....as usual.

After dinner, we took a nap and then headed off to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at Church of the Resurrection...which as usual was probably my favorite part of Christmas.  When you have thousands of people in the dark and then one candle spreads the light - pretty freaking powerful and representative of the meaning of Christmas!

So then it was Christmas morning - we opened up our stockings at home and gave the treats to the pups.  We didn't exchange big gifts, since we were heading on vacation early the next morning and we had some presents in mind for that trip.  We just hung out and then went over to my parents house to open presents there and then over to Red and Sue's house to celebrate with all of Jimmy's family!

Here's Jimmy.  Sweet picture.

There was DELICIOUS Mexican food served by the wonderful cook, my mother-in-law!  Then we spread out the presents to the kids and watched them open them....so fun.  Seeing their reactions is priceless!  And then it was time for the annual cousins PJ picture!  Look at how cute they are!

Haha - there wasn't a good one of everyone, but with 8 kids, I feel like that's pretty normal, right??

Overall, it was a wonderful Christmas season and then we whisked ourselves off to the west coast....