Christmas!!

Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's house with my brothers and their families.  We had dinner, played BINGO, and then opened presents.  We had quite a bit more planned, but we just ran out of time!  

We went home that night, and spend that evening and Christmas day at our house.  It's really the first time we have been able to do that since the year Halle was born and I refused to go anywhere so close to my due date.  It was wonderful!  

I know the reason for Christmas is not about the gifts, but I absolutely LOVE the looks on my kids faces when we can surprise them with a new toy they have been wanting.  Halle has been asking for a "binky with a baby," and I wish I could show you the look on her face when she opened it.  She also got a lot of zhu zhu pet stuff and a karaoke machine.  She's our little singer, and constantly singing and making up songs all day, so we thought she would love to have a mic.  She's actually been pretty shy of it though.  Hayden got her some squinkies.  Owen got both of the kids trains.

Here's the Owen!  Hayden and Halle helped him open his presents.  He got jammies, and a few baby toys.  Hayden got him some spoons and a sippy cup, and Halle got him a bib.  We took all the kids to pick out gifts for each other, and it was so fun to let them decide and teach them about how fun it is to give.

Hayden's top two wishes were a Polar Express train, and the Cars 2 movie.  He was so excited to see that Santa brought both of them!  He also got some Hot Wheels wall tracks sets and a marble game.   Halle got him a football piggy bank.

She's actually been pretty shy about singing on it, but she does sometimes.

 Derrick got tickets to Bryan Regan at the end of this month, and some cologne.  The kids picked some things out for him, including ties (a purple one from Halle!), dress socks, and tools.  I got spoiled with a bike, a bunch of books, a cupcake transporter, a kitchen scale, and lets not forget the giant case of DP. :)

The aftermath.

Here is one of Owen's presents that the older two can't get enough of.  

Here is one of the gifts I made them - pajama eaters.  Their still clean pajamas go inside their mouths when they change in the morning, so they know where to find them at night.

They had enough presents that they just played with a new one every few hours, all day long.  Here they are opening up the marble game just before bedtime.

I loved having church on Christmas.  Afterwards, we took a family picture. 

We pretty much just stayed home the whole rest of the week!  We stayed busy organizing and cleaning the house, and keeping busy with Halle's birthday preparations.  It was such a relaxing and nice week, and much needed after the years of travelling and stress.  I love my little family, and I love Christmas.