Christmas Eve

Sorry I got so behind on my blogging! I took so many pictures this Christmas so I want to make a seperate post for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & the day after Christmas. We started out Christmas Eve the not so fun way since it is Saturday - waking up to go to work. Well I had to go to work - Jake has a nice long 4 day weekend. But I only have to work Saturday a few more times!

When I started at the bank, I worked Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 1-6 and Saturdays from 8-1. I changed last January to work Tuesday & Thursday 12-6 and Saturday 8-1. My other "half" - Tessa - works Monday Wednesday & Friday 12-6. The shift originally was all hers - she worked 6 days a week. Every week. I could not do that. So anyway, back to me not having to work Saturdays anymore {I am rambling - while typing! Awesome!} Tessa is having a baby so she won't be working at the bank anymore {WE ARE GOING TO MISS HER SO MUCH!} so now I get her schedule and will work Monday Wednesday Friday! I work 6 days a week in January until Jessica, Tessa's replacement, is trained and ready to take over my schedule of Tuesday Thursday Saturday.

So I woke up Christmas Eve morning and got ready for work and left to come to work while Jake & Max laid on the couch watching Flying Wild Alaska on the DVR {I had to drag Jake to bed the night before - he was having way too much fun with the Apple TV}. Work was really slow - not many customers seemed to know that we were open so I spent most of my shift searching the internet for things I don't need haha. Don't worry - I didn't buy anything!

After I got off of work, Jake & I went to my parents house to have lunch. We had quite a spread - vegetable tray, shrimp, turkey salami, deviled eggs, sushi {MY FAVORITE!} and meatballs with some really big cookies Poppa brought from California {one of these cookies was a pistachio cookie but everyone kept calling it the pickle cookie because it was green haha}.

Miss Jeannene and her cute new hair cut putting the final touches on the food!

After we were done eating, we talked for a bit and then played Yahtzee. I haven't played that in a way long time so it was fun to get to play it with the family! Then we left my parents house to spend the rest of Christmas Eve with the McClellans. We went to Texas Roadhouse with Danny, Wendy, Dustin & Grandma Robbins. Texas Roadhouse is one of our favorites but because we ate so much lunch at my parents house we didn't end up eating anything! Afterwards, we left to go to the Salem Cemetery for the candle light remembrance vigil they have each Christmas Eve. We went with Jake's Uncle Rick and cousins Kenna, Cassidy, Kayson & Maddie. Jake's Aunt Christy was there too {she is Rick's mom, and Jake's dad's sister - confusing I know}. We went to the Salem cemetery because Jake's Aunt Sue is buried there. She passed away in June 2009, right before Jake & I got married.

Sue's grave with the lights around it

Pictures of the kids that Kenna collaged for Sue for Christmas

Some of the Chinese Lanterns that were released into the sky

After we were finished at the cemetery, Jake & I went to see the one of the many dancing houses in Utah County. There is one right by Jake's parents house so we went to that one because it was close! I love going to dancing houses - the lights change to the beat of Christmas music that is on a radio station that you listen to in your car! SO cool!

The tree as it changed colors

Then we went home and got ready for Santa to come! We watched Christmas Story and part of It's A Wonderful Life on TV.



Brownies & Milk for Santa {that Max wanted to eat}



Our family :)

It was an awesome Christmas Eve :)