The Forrester Family: Christmas Eve

We had a low key couple of days after everyone left and spent some time on Monday making Peppermint Crunch and M&M Pretzels for our neighbor friends. On Tuesday, we made a family event out of decorating gingerbread houses and making sugar cookies(which Mommy didn't even think to take pictures of...total Christmas season fail)

Christmas Eve finally arrived and we made Jesus' birthday cake and reindeer cookies for our Light Ride. That afternoon we got ready for Christmas Eve service at church. This was the first year that we attempted to sit in the sanctuary as a family. The service was amazing and I brought plenty of snacks to keep the boys' mouths full so that they wouldn't have time to talk. We sang carols, the children performed several songs on stage and then we listened to our awesome praise band do a very cool rendition of Hark, the Herald Angels Sing complete with beat-boxing. Our Praise in Motion dance teachers also performed with two of our youth drummers to The Little Drummer Boy then our pastor gave a wonderful message. The service concluded with communion and a live Nativity(including baby Jesus!) as the birth of our Savior was presented to the congregation. It was a truly wonderful service! Unfortunately, Caden and I missed the end of the service because he began getting antsy and loudly told me that he was tired of the 10 month old sitting in front of us looking at him. As I turned red and the mother quickly handed her baby to her husband, we scooted out to the Lobby for the remainder of the service. However, we had a bird's eye view of the Nativity because they were walking in from the Lobby. I had hoped to get a family picture of us all dressed up for church but had to settle for a post service picture of the boys in front of the living room tree.

After a late nap for Caden, dinner and baths, the boys put on their new PJ's from Maw-Maw and we loaded up in the car with milk, cookies, and blankets for our tradition of a final Christmas Light Ride.

Ethan loved wearing a Santa hat this year :-)

Once our ride was over, we sang an early Happy Birthday to Jesus, had a small bite of his birthday cake, and headed to bed to get ready for Santa's arrival! I love, love, love, the devotion that we have that goes with making Jesus' birthday cake. It is chocolate and round, frosted white, with an angel, a star, a green tree, and red candles on it. Chocolate for the darkness in our hearts before we know Jesus; round for His never-ending love; frosted white because our sin is washed away white as snow; an angel to remind us of the good tidings brought to the shepherds and the good news we should share with others; a star for the Wise Men who followed it to Bethlehem reminding us to follow Him; a green tree to remind us to live and grow in His word; and red candles for Jesus' blood that was shed for our sins. Although this isn't the first year we have made this cake, I love that Ethan is now old enough to truly understand it's meaning.

Then the kiddos set out milk and cookies for Santa and a bowl of food for his reindeer(with a note telling Santa how to feed them from Ethan), and they went to bed so that Mommy and Daddy could put presents for both boys under the living room tree.