The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is so great.  We were able to spend a lot of time with our increasingly chaotic families this year.  It is wonderful chaos of babies crying, wrapping paper everywhere, noisy baby toys, attempted naps, and happy grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I got to host Christmas with the Gomperts!  I went with a frosty natural theme.

Place setting close up.

Following dinner, Lindsey wrangled the kids for the Christmas story reenactment.  This is a fun tradition that was part of Marc's childhood as well as mine.

Lots of fun new toys to play with!

We went to Freeburg for Christmas.  Life doesn't get much better than this.  Marc and I could not get enough of these little precious(es?).  I like it best when they're bundled together.

Babies holding babies.  It's so hard to get 3 sub 1 year olds to pose nicely for a picture.  Doesn't Ava look proud of herself for sitting in that just-her-size chair and holding Margaret (that's Peggy for short, thanks to uncle Jonas).

On Christmas day, lots of family and Shook fam friends came over.  There were presents, lots of food, and Ava's 1st 1st birthday party.  Included in Mom's awesomely pretty and whimsical Christmas decor this year was the "Angels Having a Party" themed dining room.  Christmasy, yet appropriately pink to host a baby girl birthday party.  Owning 4 sets of real feather, life-size angel wings would make me really happy.

Smash cake!  She's not that into smearing cake.

This was Joney and Erin's last unmarried Christmas.  We're all looking forward to the nuptials on June 15, and managed to fit some wedding crafting/wine drinking into the Christmas mix.

A highlight of all highlights was when Santa came!  Peggy and Nordoo had a few failed attempts to see Santa, so Santa came to them.  Look at Nolie Santa loving his grand babies.  Ava was terrified of Nolie Santa, but keeping a yarn pom, and later a cookie in her mouth seemed to help!

Sweet moment during birthday present opening (and a little bit of a cookie tummy, pardon me).

Opening birthday presents and getting one last wear out of her fancy Christmas dress.

 Twin love, Lucas and Jamie love, Grandma love.

 Finally, an impromptu photo shoot of most of the Schafale girls (we're missing a few, and Ava was napping).

Whew.  Time goes so fast.  Next year all the babies will be running around, there will be more chaos.  I just can't wait.