Christmas

As usual I waited until Christmas Eve to wrap presents. I wrapped a few during the day but most of them waited until the kids were in bed. My plan was to get it all done while Roger played with the kids outside but it wound up raining all day. Oh well. It got done. And I didn't run out of wrapping paper! (I had juuuust enough)

I finished my wrapping at about 11:00pm.  I told Roger "Everything is wrapped except for that one big thing for Adaiah"

So for the next hour, Roger got to put together that one big thing for Adaiah! :) 

We don't put any presents under the tree until the kids are all in bed.  Even if I had all of my gifts wrapped in October, we wouldn't put presents under the tree until they were sleeping. :)

Stockings... leaning.  How are you supposed to hang them when they are full?  I was afraid they would come crashing down.

The twinkling of the lights. 

By New Years I am usually ready to put away the tree and have my space back.  But I always miss the lights. 

_____________Christmas morning______________

 Hannah slept in the boys room.  No one was going to sneak out and get a peek under the tree! I hung that ribbon across the doorway so I could (hopefully) tell if someone escaped.  (Um, it didn't work.  Joseph ducked under it and "forgot" which way to walk to get to our room) :)

First glimpse 

 Please ignore the Perry the platypus shirt Nehemiah is wearing.  It's not very festive.  I don't know where his Christmas pj's got to.  Normally we do new pj's for Christmas but that didn't happen this year.  Note to self: don't skip the pj's next year! I don't want to stare at Perry the platypus in all of my Christmas photos!

 We had to wake Adaiah.  She was happy, but not sure what all of the excitement was about.  She needed a minute to wake up.

 Haha! Check out her hair!  Wow.  I wish my hair could get that kind of volume!

 Now she's waking up... and she spotted a new sippy cup behind her stocking.

We don't like it when all of the kids open at once.  So we lined em up so they could take turns opening.

 Can you see her smile behind all of that hair?  Note to self: next year braid the girls hair before they open gifts.  So many pictures are of wrapping paper and hair.

 She got a jewelry box that plays music - with a little dancing ballerina.  I remember having one just like it when I was a little girl. 

 She loves it. She'll wind it up and put it next to me so I can have some music to listen to when I'm cooking. :)  Love her.

 I love how the other two are so interested in Nehemiah's present.  It was so sweet to watch them all be excited for each other.

 It was a new monster truck.  If you can believe it, there are one or two trucks that he doesn't have!

 Joseph couldn't wait to tear into his present!

 A pillow pet! :)  The girls got pillow pets last year.  The boys had hinted here and there that they wanted one but I don't think they wanted to say it, in fear of it seeming like a girlie gift.  I assured them that not all pillow pets are pink or purple. 

 Joseph loves his moose pillow. 

 Adaiah knew what to do, but she did it slowly.

 The girl has a sippy cup addiction. It's all she ever asks for when shopping.

  The kids each picked out a $1 gift for Roger.  Here Adaiah is watching him open her gift to him.

 more smiles.

 more excitement.

 The smiles weren't just from the kids.

 *swoon* I love seeing my husband smile.

 notice the sippy cup.  She kept it with her all day - empty or not.

 Three cheers for wooden toys! 

 What's a Christmas without lego's? :)

 I think stockings are my favorite part.

After opening our gifts and stockings I popped some homemade cinnamon rolls in the oven.  Then we called Grandma and got to open a few more presents. 

We had a great day, and not just because of the presents.  I mean, they were fun.  The kids had fun.  But we also celebrated Jesus.  We gave thanks for the most wonderful gift of all.  And that is what made the day so great.