Favorite Moments of Christmas 2011

There were a lot of favorite moments of Christmas 2011 and below are a few I captured.

One of my most favorite moments of Christmas each year is late on Christmas Eve. We always go to the Christmas Eve service at church which sets the scene for the rest of the evening. Reflecting the true meaning of Christmas and singing Silent Night in complete darkness except for the small candles we are all holding. I cry every year at that exact moment. Immediately following the candle light service we head home for the intimate part of Christmas. Just our immediate family opens gifts from each other. It's so awesome to experience this with my children now that they are adults.

Christmas morning we head over to Craig's parents.

The tradition Mullauer Christmas morning breakfast. Our table has grown a lot over the years to the point that we now extend out into the hall but most important is that we ALL are around that table. Kay and Roger would have it no other way. That's one of the things I love about them.

Cousins.... who are crazy about each other.

Opening gifts....

Christmas dinner table

Turkey is ready....

One of the things I LOVE about Craig is that he is so sentimental. Something as simple as a framed photo of him at Silver Lake with his girl is his favorite gift.

I think I liked my food saver!

A SpongeBob house for Jordan's fish.

Love, love, love this photo and this moment. Jordan just spotted Craig carrying down her new 32 inch flat screen TV. We love our girl.

This dinosaur has a story but to make a long story short..... Caleb was a huge dino freak as a little kid. He LOVED dinosaurs. I found this at Goodwill a few weeks before Christmas and I just had to buy it for him. It was one of the biggest gifts under the tree and Caleb could hardly wait to dig into it..... little did he know.

We wrapped it in a "Ford Racing Parts" box so Caleb assumed it was something awesome for his Mustang. It was hysterical. I didn't get a very good photo because I was laughing so hard.

Jordan's special gift from Caleb.

Christmas Eve day we spent with my parents.

My mother and I both share a love of thrift store shopping and thrill of the hunt. And we both have the same taste in old vintage things. My mother collects old pictures of mothers with their children so when I found this in a thrift store a few weeks ago I knew she would love it and she did.

My Dad... I love him!

The annual photo shoot with the kids and the dogs. Turned out pretty good but I wish Fiona showed up better. She's so dark she blends right in.

When Christmas was done and we were driving home tonight Craig pulled over at the beach without me even asking. The sunset was amazing and he knew I'd want to get a photo. Another reason why I'm so crazy about that man. He knows me so well. The wind was hollowing and the waves were wild...... So beautiful.

Tonight I am tired and emotional. But for all the good reasons. I am thankful and content. Grateful for another wonderful year with my family. God is good....