Christmas Eve

Every year Ryan's parents have a party that is a little more formal, so we got Ethan all dressed up in his new Church clothes. We took advantage of the photo opportunity and got a shot - fruit snacks and all. With Church at 8:00am, we failed to get pictures of him last Sunday. It was lunch time by the time we got home and there was no way of catching him on film, at least in a pleasant mood.

We headed over to Ryan's parents house and were surprised that we were the first to arrive. Ethan enjoyed playing with a singing plush snowman and penguins, Ryan tried avoiding human contact (he was sick), and Addy visited with Grandpa & Grandma Zoratti while Ethan was happy (she is on Ethan duty while we are with the Heap side of the family). Family and friends slowly arrived and we all were able to enjoy a variety of delicious food.

The adults visited, Ryan played Christmas Hymns on the piano (one day Santa will bring one to our house), kids played, some ventured out to the backyard to shoot the potato gun for a little while (a visit by the Police in the neighborhood required a short break... the potato gun makes a very loud noise), Ethan enjoyed a bath in Grandpa & Grandma's bath tub that makes for a sweet slide, and then came the presents.

This year it was all about the kids. All four (Justin Zoratti, Ainsley & Corrine Dendinger, and Ethan) had a fun time ripping into all the gifts. Excitement filled the room. Ethan was beyond spoiled... he got Mega Blocks; a Mickey Mouse book and plush toy; Mr. Bubbles; Crayons for the bath tub; a Yellow Duck (he had to show everyone); a plush Camel; a Clifford book; puzzles; a wooden Penguin puzzle from Argentina, a Buzz Lightyear shirt; Cars - Mater, Luigi, Guido; Trains and track; Wall-E figurines and books; a Mickey Mouse ornament; and some green. Needless to say, he was in heaven.

After a little playtime, we decided to head home. Ethan was on a toy high and wanted to play with toys all night. We have been doing a Christmas Advent Calendar and wanted to put in the last picture - Jesus. We got Ethan to calm down and were able to have a great end to the evening. Ethan opened his last gift of the night; a new board book about Jesus. The First Presidency also delivered the Heap Family a new book about the Doctrine and Covenants. It was a very different feeling than the rest of the evening, but it was nice to share the Spirit with Ethan and teach him about the true meaning of Christmas.