(December): Christmas in Mexico #2: Christmas Eve

 Christmas Eve was so fun with my family this year - full of traditions and fun activities together.  I love all the Christmas Eve festivities!

Gavin and Erin are putting baby Jesus on the advent calendar, while Mike is in the background moving the donkey along the advent calender I had in my house as a child

Heather & Elaina decorating sugar cookies

Erin with her grandparents

More sugar cookies

Elaina, hard at work

Somebody saw this cute kid licking a knife and kept snapping pictures! :)

Lots of cookies for Santa

As we do every year, we tracked Santa on Norad tracks Santa and kept tabs on where we was all day long.  Here Erin & Gavin are keeping up with his travel route

Isaac took a break from cookie decorating to ride his bike around the house

Mike created this contraption so he could pull Isaac around fast.  Isaac loved it, and Mike got a workout!

Hanging out in the hammock again

My Mom bought a pinata for the kids since it's a Mexican Christmas Eve tradition.  Here she's reading them an article about the religious significance of the pinata

Ryan didn't do too much damage on the pinata

Isaac was too cute with the pinata

Someone handed him a stick and told him to go hit stuff with it.  A toddler boy's dream come true!  Imagine his delight when candy came pouring out!

And it was three times as big as him! 

Getting some help from Grandpa Ducky

Gavin

Erin's turn!

Elaina smashing it to pieces

Yay, candy!!!

Filling his bag with candy

And then dumping it out so he can fill it up again

Reading in Luke 2

Gavin in his little Elf hat

Cousins on Christmas Eve

Sweet Sisters

We went down into the town of Ajijic on Christmas Eve to see some of the displays in the courtyards and the festivities in the church's courtyard

That's the way to enjoy a walk through the town!

Heather & Ryan

The town of Ajijic

This is so peaceful and beautiful.  Wish I could be there now!

Our group together on the boardwalk on Christmas Eve

Sunset on Lake Chapala

The local church

The church had live nativities throughout the courtyard

Santa's getting closer!

snuggling with my hubby on Christmas Eve

Ryan's cute Christmas Eve outfit

I love his face!

Love this picture of the three of them giggling together in the car

Christmas Eve gifts for the kiddos from their great-grandmother, Nanny M

For some reason I love this picture of Mike trying to put Isaac's pajamas on

new pajamas!

Trying to get a picture of all five kids was nearly impossible

Reading the Christmas story, Davey and the First Christmas, which my Mom has had since she was 3 and read to us each Christmas Eve

Paul family on Christmas Eve

My sweet family on Christmas Eve.  I look tired.  Go figure :)  And I love that Isaac is pulling his ears