Keeping Up With The Bandermann's: Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we had a pretty low-key morning. Emory had been so congested and coughing for the last four to five days, and we were SO HOPING that she would begin to feel better with her antibiotic. She coughed up a bunch of mucus that morning (gross I know) but from that point on it seemed like she was on the up and up and had turned the corner! YAY! Ryan and I took the girls and we finished up some last minute shopping and ate at Chick-Fil-A. We came home for naps and then around 4:30 we headed over to my mom's house. She always hosts a big family Christmas Eve party, so we took some food over and I fed Emory before we all headed to church.

Our church has a BEAUTIFUL Christmas Eve service every year. The church is always packed and the best part is that our ENTIRE family is there. My grandparents, my aunts and uncles and all of my cousins and their spouses and kids (who pretty much all live away from here, but they are all here for Christmas). (All except my sister this year, who was working in Nashville and then headed to Knoxville for Christmas with Curt's family...she will be her the day after Christmas...we missed you Lindsey and Curt!). We took up several pews and it was so fun all being together. However...little Miss Emory was not really having it. (They don't have child care at this service). Ryan took her out at the beginning because she started crying as soon as the louder music started. I thought she would enjoy that, but nope. =) Then later on she just couldn't get settled so I took her out. I just listened from the hallways (and heard one of my FAVORITE songs being sung...go figure!). Pretty soon I saw my cousin Erika come out with her little one, and then Kelly came out with Paxton! HA! I saw my sister-in-law come out with Charli and our pastor's wife come out with her little grand-daughter! It turned into a little party out in the hallway. While I would have rather been inside the service holding a sleeping baby, it actually turned into a special little moment!! I tried going back in for the candlelight singing of Silent Night, but it was like Emory knew as soon as I stepped inside the sanctuary...ha! I think the people around me were probably like "give it up lady...just stay in the hallway!"

After the service we headed over to my mom's house for the par-tay...SO MUCH FUN! We ate all the yummy party food we always have, and just hung out and enjoyed the crazy! And with all of our little ones, it definitely got a little crazy! But we wouldn't have it any other way...LOVE MY FAMILY SO MUCH!

Then, the "bigger" little kids (Ebby Lee, Nixon, Brynn, and Camden) had fun wrestling and dancing to "What Does the Fox Say?")

I promise Brynn was not hurting Ebby Lee! Nobody better mess with her...she can hold her own!

All the cousins had fun hanging out...Ryan and Ty were talking about pant inseams (for whatever reason) and they were measuring against each other. Ty is only an entire foot taller...he's 6'9 and Ryan is about 5'9!

Morgan got in some good snuggle time. We were all joking that when Lindsey, Morgan, Tarah, and Tori start having kids, we are going to have to move our party to the Osage Center!