Jeff, Rebecca, & Our Girls: A Merry Christmas

We started our Christmas season in Maryland while Jeff was still traveling to and from residency interviews. He has now completed all of his interviews and we will find out where we match in March. It snowed a little while we were at my parents house so we built a little snowman. (It's on the table)

I traveled with Jeff to his interview in Richmond and left the girls with my parents. The schools that he interviews at usually pay for his hotel stay and this one had us at a very nice hotel, The Jefferson. While Jeff was at his interviews I had the whole morning to myself, which was very strange. I slept in, exercised at the hotel's gym, ate leftover cheesecake, and walked around downtown Richmond and went to the Richmond holocaust museum.

We sure enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Jackson for a few weeks. Even though we weren't there for Christmas we were still able to do a lot of Christmas activities with them. We did our Polar Express activity and went to see some Christmas lights on the bay, saw the Christmas lights and nativities at the D.C. temple, made Christmas cookies, played in the hot tub, opened presents, visited Santa, listened to a lot of Christmas music, shopped, took the girls to see Frozen, and had so much other fun! My Mom often had a present for the girls to open under the tree in the mornings.

My Dad has an amazing woodworking talent and he made us this beautiful bread box. He also made Annabelle and Elsie jewelry boxes and filled them with girly treasures. Annabelle put all of them on.

The girls and I decorated a gingerbread house, which I haven't done in years. Elsie was helpful by licking every piece of candy before putting it on the house. Annabelle helped eat the icing.

Annabelle and Elsie enjoying Christmas Eve with some interesting looks. This is Elsie giving "the eyes."

We also had a great time celebrating Christmas with some of Jeff's family in Missouri. His parents and brother, Brian, and his family were there.

We read the Christmas story of Jesus's birth and the kids were the actors. Annabelle was the angel and Elsie was baby Jesus.

Grandpa Bushman read them a Christmas story and we had hot chocolate.

Annabelle was so excited for Christmas this year that she was the first person awake in the morning. Grandma Bushman made a lot of fun toys for the girls.