On Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve started out as a doozy here in the SPH for one SPH mama. I woke up with a migraine. Ugh. I ran to my arsenal of caffeine, Fioricet, my frozen rice bag, and bed. Thankfully, Tyler had they day off and was able to deal with the sweet peas so that i could get some much needed R&R.

The Christmas Eve spirits must have been on my side, because after originally thinking there was no way I would pull out of this one and enjoy myself later, I did. By mid-afternoon I was feeling much, much better and by the time the festivities rolled around, I was like a new woman!

Tyler and Sassy braved the last-minute shopping crowds and did a little shopping themselves. We had 2 $10 off tokens to Victoria's Secret, so I suggested they go in and choose some stocking stuffers from the bath/body section for some family members. Sassy came home with 2 new lip glosses and a roller ball fragrance... for herself. They went into Bath & Body Works with instructions to choose new hand soap... Sassy came out with Twisted Peppermint hand soap... for herself. I sent them to Kohl's with a $10 off $20 purchase coupon and instructions for Ty to choose a sweater to wear to Christmas Eve dinner. Sassy came home with pink 14kt gold Disney princess earrings... for herself. Are you spotting a pattern here? Leave it to a shopping trip with Daddy...

Anyway, before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. I bought Tink a beautiful red dress to match Sassy's from last year on sale after Christmas, in hopes that they would wear the matching red dresses this year. Not so much. Sassy saw a beautiful blue dress on the clearance rack at Target last week, and she just had to have it, since blue is her favorite color and all. I was reluctant to oblige, but she really, really wanted the dress, so I did. Both girls looked stunning. I can say so. I'm their Mama.




They loved being dressed up so fancy (pretty rare around here), and they looked like two little snow angels to me.



The new hair pretties from the Briar.Claire sale a couple of weeks ago were the icing on the cake. Briar.Claire currently has a 25% off sale through December 31st with code DECEMBER25, in case you were wondering...



Then, it was time for dinner. This is the second year we've decided to stay close to home and go to Luciano's. There's a reason for that. It was hands down the BEST meal I have had all year long. My word, the food is delicious. It's truly a dining experience. Oh, and we ate like kings. Bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, insalata di formaggi in a parmesan bowl, mare monti pasta, filleto alla senape, and tiramisu... yep, that's what I had. Bah! To top things off, we received an wonderfully generous Christmas gift from Miss Debbie (my supervisor) and her family- they had called in and prepaid for a portion of our bill after she had heard me say we were planning to go there for Christmas Eve dinner... isn't that amazing?



Here are a few pictures from our wonderful dinner, and just outside following the feast...



The girls were anxious to get home, and thankfully, we were just a skip away. Sassy ran inside and began asking what was coming next. Tyler and I located packages containing the girls Christmas pajamas from under the tree, and they opened those first. They looked adorable! We all took a few minutes to change into something warm and comfy and get settled in. Sassy even chose new hair pretties for herself and Tink to match their new jammies... what a little diva!



I thought Sassy would be chomping at the bit to open her gifts, and she was, don't get me wrong...



...but, she was most excited to give her Dad and I the gift she made at preschool and MDO. Here we are with the snowman she made in Mrs. B's class... she was beyond proud of her craftsmanship!



The girls opened their gifts from Nana & Graycop next. I knew there were big surprises to be had...



American Girl dolls! Tink got the bitty twin boy girl {after a quick outfit swap prior to wrapping} that looks just like her! Sassy got the Elizabeth doll, one of the historical characters that will be archived at the end of this year. Both dolls are gorgeous!



The excitement continued as the girls opened their gifts from us. After scouring the edges of the earth, I was able to get my hands on one lonely little teacup piggy for Tink- I just knew she would love it, and love it she does. I also made each of the girls a Snapfish photo book- Sassy's is a recount of our Mommy-daughter trip to Cape Cod and Tink's is filled with pictures of her, with verses I wrote inspired by this poem, which I have loved for years and years. The girls are hanging off of Ty as he reads Tink's book aloud in one of these pictures...



Oh, and I think my Mom was a little surprised that she got a Kindle. I think. Agree?



After a rousing hour or so gift-opening, it was time to sprinkle our reindeer food out on the lawn...



...and lay out milk, cookies, and carrots for Santa & his reindeer...



...and get to bed! We couldn't wait to see what Christmas Day would bring...