Christmas Eve Dinner

I'm still playing catch up with some photos and memories I want to record.

We have shared Christmas Eve Dinner with our friends The Manzellas for the last four or five years. Usually Thomas prepares some amazing meal (he's done seafood, individual stuffed cornish game hens and prime rib in the past), Lori does all of the shopping and prep, always makes my favorite salad and sets a gorgeous table and I take care of the rolls and dessert. This year her Dad and were step Mom were visiting from Florida and they prepared much of the meal.

I brought the gingerbread pumpkin trifle and a nutella cheesecake and Cecile (Lori's step mom) made a rum cake so we were more than covered in the dessert department. Dinner, as always, was amazing and the kids kept running into the office to check on the Santa Tracker (even Max who no longer really believes).

We stayed and visited after dinner until it was time to pick up Koo from the airport. I did not tell tell the kids where we were going - I just said we were searching for Christmas lights. When we got to the airport I told them I had heard some of the planes were decorated from Christmas and while they looked out the windows, I pulled up to where Koo was waiting for us. They were very surprised and very happy and we are so grateful she is here.