Christmas Afternoon - Jones Family Celebration

Christmas Day afternoon we went over to Grammy and Poppy's house for a Jones Family Christmas celebration.  We ate a scrumptous meal of turkey, potatoes, beans, apples and yams, rolls, and yummy raspberry salad.  We were stuffed, but were happy.  We then moved on to presents.  It was so fun and Eme and East cleaned up.  Eme received a cute outfit, book, sleeping bag, and and American Girl Doll with clothes.  She was pumped!  East received a sleeping bag, cute outfit, book, and a tee with baseballs and bat.  He couldn't wait to get it set up and swing it.  My parents surprised the girls with a trip to New York City at the end of January (without husbands or kiddos).  It was so awesome to hear the five clues we had to get right to get to the surprise.  What an awesome surprise!  I can't wait.  My parents spoiled us and we felt so blessed to be together this holiday season.  It is so fun to have Chris and Karim in town because with them our family is complete. 

 

Christmas Morning - Hatch Family - 2010

Christmas Eve we arrived home late because of our fun carriage ride, so we got the kiddos in their jammies and Eme laid out chocolate milk and two sugar cookies for Santa and carrots for Rudolph.  When the kiddos awakened Christmas morning, Eme and East found the cookies gone and a little chocolate milk left over from Santa and when Eme looked outside Rudolph had left her some bubble tape gum to thank her for the carrots.  We had a yummy breakfast of cheese eggs and carmel rolls and then we opened gifts.  We tried to simplify Christmas this year and so it was fun to see how excited the kiddos were about opening their gifts and Eme was such a great helper to East. It was refreshing to see that the kiddos were pleased as could be with less stuff and were just as happy if they had received tons more.  We tried to really help them understand the importance of Christmas and the real reason for the celebration.  It was fun to be together, but we also looked forward to getting together for a Christmas celebration later on in the day.  Merry Christmas!

Carriage Ride - Christmas Eve

After our dinner festivities at my mom and dad's house, we headed over to Highland Park and waited for our carriage to arrive.  It was a cold, rainy night and we were all feeling happy that there was a roof on the carriage we were taking around.  They quickly wiped down the seats for us and made sure we had enough warm blankets to go around.  It was so much fun to see the kiddos light up every time they saw a home with beautiful lights on it.  It was fun to see what lengths people go to when decorating their homes for Christmas.  It was a fun time for all and I appreciate my parents making it possible for us all to go and enjoy the experience!

Christmas Eve

We arrived home from Cozumel on the 23rd of December and then were able to spend our Christmas Eve together the next day.  The kiddos opened a pair of pajamas before we headed over to my parents home for Christmas Eve festivities.  The theme for the jammies was monkeys - because they are our little monkeys!  My mom had so many yummy foods waiting for us to sample - bacon wrapped chestnuts, bean dip, cheesy sausage dip, fruit, guacamole (my sister-in-law Karim makes the best guac!), crackers and cheese, shrimp, and yummy cherry cheesecake for dessert.  It was awesome - thanks mom for saving me a meal prep!  We then opened sibling gifts - Collins and Ashley gave us Hi-Ho Cherrio and Ants in Your Pants (games for the kiddos - which they love).  We then headed out for a fun, yet wet horse-drawn carriage ride through an area in downtown Dallas called Highland Park to look at all the Christmas lights.

Cozumel - Day 1 & Day 2

My parents decided to take the Jones Family to Cozumel, Mexico the week before Christmas as a last trip before they left on their mission. What a wonderful week of fun! When we arrived in Cozumel, the weather was humid, but just the right temperature. It stayed in the 70's the whole time we were there and was pleasant for the six days of our stay. We couldn't have asked for better weather, beautiful scenery, excellent company, and tons of fun. The day we arrived, we got settled and explored the resort we stayed at the Grand Cozumel. The next day we went to church (which was in Spanish) and felt the spirit so strong. A sweet woman from the branch wanted a picture with Syd and East and so Karim hopped in the picture because East wasn't comfortable with someone he didn't know! What an awesome branch! We spent the afternoon exploring the island and got out for a break to have the kiddos enjoy the beach, sand, and water. What fun day!