Merry Christmas

 

Wrapping Up Christmas Eve--

After dinner we cut and colored snowflakes for the Sandy Hook Elementary School. I was surprised how long Kevin and Julia lasted, when I was finished, they wanted to keep going, but seeming as we had near 100 snowflakes, we decided to be done.

We wrapped up the evening by racing the kids’ Toy Story Cars across the table. Who knew 5 adults and 5 kids could be so entertained!

That night Christopher Pop-In-Kins had to head back to the North Pole. He left the kids a cute letter along with new jammies to wear for when Santa came. The kids left reindeer food on the front porch and cookies and milk for Santa. Due to all the playing they were out with in minutes of climbing into bed.

Cody and I had gotten Lacey a kitchen for Christmas so we decided to assemble it and just throw a blanket over it so that it would be ready to play with. Upon opening the box, our 55 piece kitchen had a whopping 7 pieces in it. The seven biggest pieces, but not even enough to make do. We ended up hauling it back out into the garage and decided we would just return it the day after Christmas.

Our little princess, Julia, was up at 4 AM ready to open presents. We put her off until six with a movie on her iPod. I wish now that I had just gotten up with her and let her play with her stocking things because I never went back to sleep either.

As sad as we were to not be with our families for Christmas, it was magical and delightful to be in our own home with our three kids. I wanted Christmas to last for 10 days, we had so much fun. Thanks to our Aunts and Uncles and Grandma’s and Grandpa’s for sending such perfect gifts for us.

I’m not going to lie, Lacey’s Christmas was a little boring. Julia had opened two toys and Lacey didn’t end up having any because her Kitchen was her toy. But, Julia being the great big sister that she is let Lacey doodle on her doodle bear.

She also let Lacey apply some makeup.

And after Cody helped assemble the first train track, this track has been taken apart and put back together 100s of times. Right now it is in the middle of the living room with a map next to it. Kevin drew out his track plans before building it. Cody snapped a picture, I’ll have to post it later. The end result looks just like the picture.

Our Christmas day was filled with Danish Pastries, Disney Movies, Naps, Sledding, Game Playing, Hot Baths, Hot Chocolate, lots of Face Time, and tons of fun!

Cody and I have said ten times over, “We could NOT have picked more perfect gifts for our kids.” They have been well used and well loved. Kevin’s other toy was a remote control truck. He has learned to make it jump and has had it taken away several times for running it into the walls. It’s a speedy little beast, we have it on the slowest setting and it’s super d duper fast still.

A few of my favorite things from Christmas

-Cody had 14 days off of work. (I was so sad when he left this morning. I LOVE having him home!)

-I was able to go to lunch with a good friend, Kid Free!

-We walked to the park to go sledding several times.

-Taking the kids shopping to buy gifts for each other and for Dad. They don’t have very many opportunities to give and to see their eyes light up on Christmas morning as the gift they were giving was opened was priceless!

-Spending a few minutes each night discussing scriptures, reenacting the Nativity, drawing pictures of our version of the night in Bethlehem. (Somewhere I lost the kids’ drawings, they were worth a million bucks. I’m so bummed.)

-And most of all, just being together!

(Lacey LOVED skyping with my niece McCall. She would say, BABY, BABY, BABY, and try to kiss her.)

We are blessed and we know it!