Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas came with a lot of anticipation at our house.  Noah has had a countdown on his phone for months, and it was checked quite regularly.  We have been trying to figure out our Christmas Eve traditions for as long as we have been married.  We tried my families, we tried his families, we tried just making up stuff, and we are no further than we were last year.  For Christmas Eve this year we decided to go out for dinner and then come home for games and junk food.  It was a hit!  I don't know if it will stick next year, but I think there's a good chance we will at least consider revisiting it.  The kids were generous and let us sleep until about 7:30 on Christmas morning.  Here are our attempts at getting a picture of them in front of the tree.

Nope.  Not this one.

Sweet hugs, but not "The One."

Wyatt singing, Cyrus and Calvin unimpressed with his singing.

Shafer Kids 1

Shafer Parents 0

Cyrus on a throne of presents.

Nothing short of glamorous on Christmas Morn.

The boys were extra great this year, so Santa left them a letter in our Christmas tree saying to look outside.  Low and behold, it was a trampoline!!! I quickly snapped this picture of one of Santa's elves setting it up on Christmas Eve. 

Cyrus and The Year of The Stuffed Animal.  

Calvin busted enjoying Cyrus' toys.

 Santa's Elf was so sleepy.  He fell asleep on our couch.

 Sandwiched in between Christmas and New Years we had plenty of play dates with friends.  The boys had so much fun, and I actually got some stuff done around the house.  We also stopped by the Children's Museum called Explora and had the best time.  It was a really fun time.  We were sad to have Calvin head back to school.  

As for New Year's Resolutions:  Noah and I had a quick conversation about this over dinner clean-up the other night.  We didn't make a single one and neither one of us cares.  We feel like we are good about setting and achieving goals along the way.  So, there you have it.  Maybe we will have some next year, but for now we will keep on keeping on.