Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was another great, laid-back kind of day.  We hung out around the house, reading, practicing piano, playing, and Eliza and Luke helped me add linings to their stockings (the outsides of which I made before Luke was born, so I guess it was time).

Then, Ben was itching to get out of the house and proposed that we drove to Sundance to pick up our season passes so we can learn to ski this year.  Exciting!  Then he and Eliza went to the shooting range while the other kids and I stayed home and watched It's a Wonderful Life while we made some more Christmas preparations.

Once everyone was home again, Ben helped get dinner cooking, then joined the kids working on some activity pages.  Our Bethlehem dinner was great, and more filling with the addition of tilapia, prepared in a Mediterranean style.

The last thing before bedtime was the sibling gift exchange,

which was great.  Jack was particularly excited about the oversized Toy Story 4

coloring pages Cat and Eliza gave him, and Eliza loved the calendar Cat gave her.

My view before going to bed that night.

Eliza was sleeping in the boys' room,
since I wouldn't let them sleep downstairs by the tree or stockings.