Christmas

Christmas Eve:

In an effort to make this less stressful than last year and to not repeat a meltdown on my part from the previous year I tried really hard to keep it simple. We had our usual Christmas Eve dinner with Ham, Sour Cream Potatoes, Homemade rolls, Deviled Eggs, Asparagus, Fruit Salad and lots of Sparkling Cider! After dinner we got in our Christmas pajamas (from last year) and the kids let me take a few photos in front of the tree. Our usual opening of one gift didn't happen this year as I had a hard time finding the right pajamas for the kids this year. Luckily there were no disappointments--thank goodness! We decorated our sugar cookies and made up a plate for Santa. Lastly, we shifted our focus to the true meaning of Christmas. The kids acted out the nativity again just as they did at the beginning of December. They were just as silly this time around with a hint of reverence at the end. This year we added something new. Before going to bed we all sang Christmas Hymns around the piano. It was the coolest thing we did all night. There was just this spirit of reverence as we sang about the Savior. It easily lulled everyone to a sleepy state and putting the kids to bed was the easiest it has ever been.

Christmas Day:

For some reason I never sleep very well on Christmas Eve. I think I am always worried the kids will wake up early and sneak downstairs to see what Santa brought. To miss those surprised faces would kill me. This year I was worried about the boys looking over the railing to the entryway below to see their gifts. I woke up earlier than anyone and proceeded to turn our extra heater on in the entryway by the tree so we wouldn't freeze while enjoying Santa's gifts. To my surprise the boys didn't even wake up until 6:30am. Upon entering their room I was surprised to see that they were both snuggled in Peter's bed just talking and being obedient about staying in their room until 7:00am which I had told them the night before. Shocker! All of my worries were for nothing. I think I must have been really excited because I told them they could get the girls and dad up so we could go and see what Santa brought. All the kids insisted on bringing their stuffed animals downstairs with them. It was rather cute. The boys were happy to see that they had indeed been good enough to get their Nintendo DSI's and the girls were so excited to see the princess dolls that Santa brought. Emma was most excited by ther new Singing Belle and her Sleeping Beauty doll. Abby loved her new princess castle and was so happy to finally have a Snow White doll. She is so in love with Snow White. The boys were also excited to see the new skateboard and four square ball that Santa brought. After everyone had their fill of round 1 of Christmas Day we all headed to the kitchen to enjoy our homemade cinnamon rolls (recipe is HERE) on our fun Christmas plates! We didn't sit for very long before the kids were begging to open up the rest of the presents. We sat and opened them ALL in probably under 30 minutes. It was fun to see their excitment. After we were finished I headed for the couch and closed my eyes in relief that the morning was finally complete. I was proud of myself for leaving all the wrapping on the floor for most of the day. It was especially fun to be completely lazy all day long all while lounging in our pajamas. What a day!