Christmas Day

Christmas morning is so magical! I love wonder, joy and amazement spread across little faces! It brings back so many fond memories of my own days as a child and how exciting that moment always was as I peered around the corner and saw the gifts under the tree! I love that I know exactly how my kids feel as they struggle to settle down and sleep and how exciting it is when morning FINALLY arrives! We had a wonderful Christmas Day with plenty of surprises and fantastic gifts, the kids were so thrilled with all they received, I loved all the squeals and big "thank you" hugs as they opened each gift! Christmas is so much work, the preparation part that is, but like anything when the moment arrives it was all worth it and then some! It was a perfectly wonderful day, just as it should be!

The living room, just before the mayhem began, looks like Santa did another bang up job!

The stocking lined up on the couch with care!?! Someday, perhaps there will be a chimney! Santa is so terrific, while he doesn't bring Larren or I a gift, he does leave us a stocking, how thoughtful! The stockings were filled with lots of fun goodies!

The kids all walking down the hall - ooohh almost to the living room! Their little hearts were probably just a racing with excitment - they could hardly wait! I love how Savannah is holding hands with the girls - the are so cute together!

Savannah asked for a received Zhu Zhu hamsters and a habitat, and all of them gravitated right to it, before even looking at the presents they had asked for it was so cute! Luckily Santa brought 3 hamsters, so Savannah gave one to Audrey and Grace, they all love playing with those little critters!

Grace with her pram and Audrey with her Littlest Pet Shop, they were both very happy with what Santa picked out for them.

Jonas with his Tonka dump truck - he is in love with this truck! Such a boy - I love it!

Take the wrapper off first Jonas! He so amazed when he reached his little hand in his stocking and kept pulling out candy and candy and candy! He couldn't believe it, he got busy right away trying to eat every thing he got his hands on!

Grace found Hercules in her stocking, yeah we can delete it off the DVR its only been on there for a year!

Savannah found "Hotel for Dogs" in her stocking! Yeah and she SO wanted that!

Grace unwrapping the crying baby! She was so excited! Look how clean the living room is at this point and the girls are sitting watching so nicely, oh that didn't last, by the end of it there was wrapping paper everywhere and no place to sit at all! The madness is all part of the excitement! Right?!?

Savannah opening a present - things are still somewhat under control, but places to sit are apparently becoming an issue!

Look how excited she is and I think it was clothes even! I love her enthusiasm! And besides I'm pretty sure it was a dang cute outfit - of course!!

Audrey opening a present!

I love her reaction to everything! She is so fun and over the top it is such a joy to watch her open things! I got a huge hug for that present! She is such a doll!

Grace holding her new dress! It looks so cute on her!

Larren got a new suit, not necessarily thrilling but much needed and he looks really nice in it and the girls and I found an awesome tie to match! It was a perfect fit, no alterations needed! How good am I?!? Don't worry I got him a fun present too, he's been wanting a blue ray player forever and he got his wish, so his Christmas wasn't all business!

Savannah helping Jonas open a present, thankfully he had lots of doting sisters eager to help! He got helped whether he wanted it or not, I think that will be his life's story, lots of mother hens to smother - uh I mean mother him!

After all the opening was done we had a yummy breakfast and then devoted the next several hours to the tedious task of untwisting 28,412 metal twist ties to get the dang toys out of their packaging, who assembles those packages!?! Poor souls, yuck! So finally once our finger tips were numb we resorted to wire cutters to finish the job! Sheeesh! When we got done, everyone spent the afternoon trying out the new toys. Grandma and grandpa stopped by to "ooo" and "ahh" over the presents, it made the kids day! Later that evening we had Christmas dinner with the whole family and exchanged sibling and cousin presents, now that was insanity! It's all a blur, but everyone was happy midst all the craziness so there you go! It was a great Christmas, but as with everything else thank heavens it only comes once a year! I want the spirit of the season to last all year, but I am glad the day itself comes just once a year!