Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve Jesse and I decided that we would have dinner at our house and invite my Dad, brothers and sister. One of the perks of being a Costco employee is that we get a free turkey every year before Christmas. Even though I only work 2 days I still get one :) So needless to say we have 4 turkeys in our deep freezer and we decided to cook one for Christmas Eve. This was my first turkey I ever cooked by myself and I was a little nervous. My Dad worked on Christmas Eve and dropped my sister Cortney and my youngest brother Jett over so Cortney could help me with the cooking and Jett could spend time with Jordan (they love each other).

My sister joined the Air Force and at the beginning of December had her boot camp graduation in Texas that my Dad got to attend. She wasn't planning on coming home for Christmas so my Dad was super excited when she surprised him by showing up on his doorstep Sunday the 14th at like 2 am. Thankfully she made her flight and didn't get stuck in any of the snow delays. She took the bus from the airport to the Stanwood exit and had a friend pick her up. What a Christmas surprise.

I was super excited that she was coming over to help me cook and to spend time with her. Thankfully she cleaned and gutted the turkey, she knows how I feel about blood and guts. She made the stuffing and then we put it in the turkey. I was nervous about the cooking time, I didn't want the turkey to be dry, but it turned out fantastic and very moist. Jesse said it was the best turkey he EVER had. I hope he wasn't just saying that, but I thought it was really good too. I also made mashed potatoes, gravy, cheesy potatoes, and green bean casserole.

My Dad closed the shop early and he and my other brother Kyler headed over for dinner. I think the dinner turned out really nice and everyone had a great time. After dinner we exchanged gifts and then my Dad let off a few fireworks. The fireworks were so pretty with all the snow. Jordan did not like the fireworks and wanted to go back into the house :)

We had such a good day and I am glad that I got to celebrate it with my family.

Jesse cutting the turkey and Cortney working on the gravy.

Jett (11), Cortney (18), Kyler (16) and Dad Don sitting at the table ready to eat.

Me and my Dad.

Jesse, Jordan, me and Dad.

Jordan and Mommy.

Daddy and Jordan.

Jordan and Jett. I think they look so much alike. I think Jordan looks a lot like my Dad's side of the family.

My beautiful family.

Kyler, me, Dad, Jett and Cortney. I can't believe how tall Kyler is, he is a giant, well maybe just compared to me :)

Me and my favorite sister, she is such an amazing young woman.

Jordan opening her presents from Grandpa. She got a Belle piggy bank, Jasmine and Ariel jibbitz, some princess plates and silverware.

Jordan showing her plates and building block princess carriage.

We have a metal garage with a metal roof and here is a picture of all the snow that fell off the roof and onto Jesse's car. We walked out to say "Goodbye" to my dad and I looked over and I could not believe all the snow, you could barely see his car. Needless to say, his car is still covered in snow and we have been driving my car.