Christmas Eve

We had a nice, simple, quiet Christmas Eve at home and it was lovely. We skied in the morning (a gorgeous bluebird day!), cooked and prepped in the afternoon (I didn't want to have to "make" anything on Christmas day), went for a walk to the park before dinner, watched GBB Holiday episodes and ate nuggets, cranberry cream cheese dip, shrimp, crepes and chips and dip around the coffee table, watched the first half of the Nutcracker on TV and then called the Blanchard grandparents to watch us open our "open Christmas Eve" stockings and jammies. The kids were wired, but that makes it fun. We all watched a reading of Luke 2 that we participated in with my cousin Savanna (and other extended Thornley family members) for our scripture reading that evening. And then after Cal and Sam went to bed we had a bit of assembling to do on Sam's last present before we headed to bed, too. Only one more sleep till Christmas!

My favorite time of day is 6 am under
the glow of the Christmas tree lights.

From my vantage point on the love seat, here are the
rest of the lights adorning our big room.

We got first chair on this gorgeous (cold) morning!

How many plumes of snow can you see
from snow guns cranking it out up there?

Monster trucks at the park.

She somehow made it to the park without
socks on her feet inside these boots and
(surprise, surprise) her feet and ankles
were being rubbed and starting to hurt,
so she spent her park time on the bench,
trying to configure socks out of her mittens.

I took laps around the "crop circles" aka tire tracks
from a four-wheeler (we think) in the field. But look
at that moon!

Also: the ice sheets curling off the bowery roof were
pretty cool to examine.

Dinner time!

Present time! We've had this giant box
under our tree for days and the anticipation
has been growing!

Hi Grandma and Grandpa B!

Ready for bed (and for some hot wheels
racing!).

She wanted a solo pic in her new jams.
She loves them so!