Christmas...

This was Ethan's first Christmas and althought he had a cold, he was still a cheerfull little boy. We spent Christmas Eve at the Rubalcava's (Melanie's Uncle and Aunt) in Marysville. Not all of Mel's cousins were able to come for different reasons. Bob and Tricia where on their Mexican Cruise this year, Ken stayed home with Jared because he has chicken pox and John & Jim had other arrangements that night.
After dinner we went to a churh service, sang Christmas songs, and heard the story of the birth of Christ. It brought a really nice spirit to the evening.
Later that night we went back to the Rubalcava's home for desert and opening presents. It was fun to see Michael J. and Alexis having a blast opening their presents and being super hyper. After all the excitement, they joined Ethan in his grumpiness because they were all tired from being awake so late at night - I'm sure all of the Christmas treats did not help :)

Christmas morning we slept in, I made waffles (one of Mel's favorites), opened a few presents, and watched as giant snow flakes fell ... a perfect scene for Christmas morning.

Much of the day was spent relaxing and preparing deserts for Christmas dinner. We spent the evening with friends, enjoying a delicious meal, music and games. I read the story of "The Three Trees", a story that Mel enjoys during Christmas.
On our way home Mel, Ethan and I went to see a street where most of the homes were fully decorated in Christmas lights. Some of them had simple arrangements while others had their lights turning on and off to the beat of the music. It was the perfect way to end the night.

J