Christmas 2012

Ahhhh.....I love Christmas.  Everything about it.  I love the festivities and church services, I love the time with family and friends, I love sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree,  I love driving around and looking at Christmas lights, I love the excitement and anticipation for my little ones.  

I love Christmas.

This year we did our best to make sure we enjoyed all of our favorite things from this time of year.  We spent a lot of time with friends and family, we enjoyed our Adventure Box again (a GREAT way to instill in children the REAL meaning of Christmas), we enjoyed a candlelit service at church, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights (while eating Christmas cookies, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to Christmas music), we made Christmas cookies, we wrapped....and wrapped...and wrapped, we watched our favorite Christmas movies, we read Christmas books, and the list goes on and on...and on.

It's funny to me how some of these little traditions have become so important for our children now too.  For example, every year we put up 2 Christmas trees (not including the ones in the kiddos bedrooms and kitchen).  Our big tree in the living room has pretty matching ornaments on it and it is where Santa leaves his gifts.  Our tree in the office is smaller, older (it was my grandma's), and it holds all of our special family ornaments.  This year I suggested that we not put up the smaller tree.  It's getting REALLY old and every year I just cross my fingers that the lights are going to work!  I suggested we put all of our special family ornaments on our big tree and make THAT our special tree.

Ya, the kiddos were NOT having it.  We have always had 2 trees and that is how it was gonna stay.  

Too cute.

Christmas Eve finally arrived and the kiddos were anxious to crawl in bed and get to sleep.  However, before bed they each get to open one very special gift.  Each child receives an ornament from Matt and I that commemorates something that happened in the past year.  This year is was pretty easy to decide on the special ornaments....Greyson got his Baby's First Christmas ornament, and Eva and Jaden got Big Brother and Big Sister ornaments!

Christmas morning was full of the magic that I love.  We have the kids sleep in our room Christmas Eve so that they can't see the tree without all of us.  Jaden was up first, and Eva quickly followed.  We snuggled them in our bed for awhile until Greyson woke up.  

Simply put, this about killed them.  

Once Greyson woke up I had them ALL wait in the bedroom so I could go out and check to see if Santa had come.  I love listening to the squeals of excitement as I leave the room to check!!!  I returned and assured them that HE HAD BEEN THERE!!!!!  Their faces are always priceless when they first see the tree!  Then the unwrapping begins!!!  We open gifts one at a time so we can all look and enjoy the gifts that are given and received.

This year Eva and Jaden had wrapped quite a few gifts for Matt and I and put them under the tree.  Matt and I always take them shopping separately so they can pick out gifts for us, as well as for their siblings...so we had no idea what they were wrapping and putting under the tree.  We were surprised Christmas morning to find they had really put some thought and effort into some gifts for us.  They found a frame in the storage room of the basement that I was no longer using.  Then they found a picture of themselves in some extra pictures I had given Eva.  They framed the picture and decorated the frame with stickers!  Then they also took a photo album that was theirs and filled it with pictures of our family.  On the back they wrote the date.  I loooooooooooooved these gifts.  I loved that they really put thought and effort into them.  Hands down, my favorites.

Greyson had a great first Christmas!  His favorite gift was his Sophie Giraffe!!  He had one that was given to us as a gift.  It has been missing for WEEKS and we finally decided it must have either been left somewhere, or fallen out of his carrier.  When he "opened" his new Sophie giraffe it was like reuniting old friends!!  Too cute!   As you can see from the picture above he also got his own little toddler sled from Santa! 

Eva and Jaden both got electric scooters from Santa.  They are pretty pumped about them, considering they've been asking for them since last March!!!  In March (and April...and May...and June...you get the point) they would ask over and over and I kept saying, "Ask Santa for them at Christmas if you really want them!!"  When you have 9 months until Christmas that's a loooooog time.  However, Santa delivered!!!

Needless to say our family is blessed.  So very very blessed.  So much to be thankful for....so much to celebrate.  

I'll leave you with my new favorite Christmas quote from Andy Rooney....

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created on the living room floor Christmas morning.  Don't be too quick to clean it up."