Christmas Eve

It was pretty chilly that morning but Emily headed outside with Daddy, the cousins, and Grandpa for a little fun.

Tractor rides were the main attraction for everyone...

whether riding...

or just watching.

After a bit, since the tractor ride wasn't her cup of tea, Emily found another wheeled vehicle to enjoy.

Then, it was back in the house for some more "monkey hunts" - this time Cole played too...

while Emily and Cooper were mainly the seekers. Step one: close your eyes while Cole hides the monkey.

Step two: follow the lights and sound on your wand (Aunt Sarah thought ahead and had two!) until you locate the monkey!!

After several of those rounds Grandpa got in on the action...

and also played with stamps...

before we were off to church!

Emily found the pews quite comfortable...

and anxiously awaited her chance to sing Alleluia (a favorite when we go to mass). She spent some time warming up before things got started...

but never did get to sing it with the whole crowd. Instead we counted down the minutes until we could get our candles...

and spent much time "practicing" the lighting with Cooper, Lauren, Grandpa, and Daddy.

At last!

Even a chance to re-light Lauren's - good thing they practiced!

When the service was over, Emily found what she had been looking so forward to... an Alleluia!

Then, we discovered it was raining so we had some down time while Daddy and Grandpa retrieved the cars (yay for them!).

Once home, we took a few pictures...

and Emily had a super special mid-meal treat!

Chocolate and sprinkles must be documented if they come in the middle of a meal!

Finally, it was time to retire for the night. Emily, the first one to bed, put out her cookies for Santa knowing that Lauren, Cole, and Cooper would contribute milk, reindeer food, and more cookies later. She thought Santa, being a wise man, would enjoy lots of icing and sprinkles just like she does!