Christmas Eve

I know, I know. It's almost Valentine's Day. Just be patient with me...I'm workin' on it!

So, Christmas Eve this year was packed! We have so many traditions and we just keep adding to them! It's a lot of fun, but maybe next year we'll have to start it all a bit sooner!

It was snowing like crazy, so Craig took the girls outside and they built a snowman! They all surprised me with their work ethic and stamina considering the freezing cold!

L-R: Kami, Kamae, Paige and Talia


After an amazing dinner and the famous Rader Family hiding game (small household items extremely well hidden amongst the Christmas decorations and a race to find them all), we then did the traditional nativity. Last year my mom's mom gave my mom a whole set of handmade nativity costumes to her for Christmas. I think she had had enough of watching my mom scrape up old bath robes and sheets for makeshift costumes! Nana did an amazing job finding just the right fabrics and accessories. Of course, like every year, the girls fought over who got to be Mary. I think we'll have to start keeping track before the fights get too hairy!:) This year we included some songs interspersed with the reading of the story and hmmm...not sure about that. Good idea, but after listening to the recording of it, not sure that we should do that one again! I didn't think we sounded nearly as bad as we really did!


Kamae anxiously awaiting her introduction as the angel.

At first reluctant, but then felling very pretty, Abby joins the choir of angels!

Joseph is very tired from the whole ordeal...you know, having to walk to Bethlehem and all can really wear you out! And baby Jesus chowing down with is Avent bottle is, I'm sure, how it all went down.


Paige was a good sport being one of the three wise men...I mean women and man.


Aunt Kristen is always a trooper...the three wise people: Kristen, Nate (Tiffany's boy) and Paige.


How Mary has more energy than Joseph at this point in the story is beyond me! Brady (Marc's boy) is the cute shepherd in the back.


It's Kami and Kamae's time to shine. They were very excited to hold up the star together.


Mary (aka Talia...Tiffany's oldest) and baby Jesus (aka baby Chunkers aka baby Jack). Jack is so chill that he pretty much just laid their the whole time, even when his bottle was gone.


The whole ensemble!


We've been lucky the last couple of years to have Santa stop by! It's hard to really tell, but this is Kamae. She just can't believe her eyes...it's really Santa! (Sorry, my camera was on the wrong setting and then it died. So missing are pictures of the kids with Santa and then the kids discovering their Christmas Eve pajamas hanging outside on a clothes line with their names pinned to them!)