Silent Night

Just kidding! Nothing about our nights (or days for that matter) are silent :)

Christmas this year was a little more hectic. We had two kids to gift for and half the time (it seemed like) to get it all together and wrapped. Plus we had two schedules to consider. We went to the candlelight service on Christmas Eve again and although Lily loved the music, she definitely couldn't sit still. I ended up sitting in the aisle with her and letting her play on the floor. Wade, of course, wanted to talk the entire time and flitted back and forth between Uuma and us.

After church, everyone came back to our house for cookies and hot chocolate. After a few hours of eating, chatting and playing, the kids started to get tired and everyone hit the road to get a good night's sleep (ha!) before Christmas. *Side note- they are ALL sick. It's impossible to tell which one it is when one of them coughs, because they ALL have the same congested, terrible cough. Even Lily.*
  

The gang's all here

 





Reading Twas the Night Before Christmas to sister

Then, the boy wouldn't go to sleep. Last year he understood Santa and presents, but this year he understood that Santa was going to come. To our house. While he was sleeping. The anticipation was just killing him and every time we peeked in on him, he was just staring at his ceiling, wide awake. Around 11, he finally crashed out and we could finally set presents out. Around 4:00, he came into our room to sleep and told me that Santa had been there and put presents in a big circle around the tree. I told him that it was still too early and he was fine with that, but wanted to know, "Will tomorrow be Christmas, where we can spend time with family and friends?" I told him that it was and he went back to sleep until 8!

Santa was here!

When he got up, he TORE through the presents and we finally had to wake Lily up around 8:30 (she was up a bit during the night), so he could "help" her open her presents too. She enjoyed all the chaos and tried out a few of her new toys. Wade kept searching for more presents to open, but after it sunk in that there were no more, he gave in and played with his new toys. His favorites this year were, by far, his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle guys from Nene and Papa K. He also really liked his Star Wars guys and new pirate ship. They all played together- usually on the pirate ship with the Turtles defeating Darth Vader. As Mark said, kids don't discriminate :)

 

 

 

 

 

We got around and headed over to Shelly's for breakfast, which was sooo good! I'm not sure what's in it, but she makes a wonderful egg casserole that I look forward to all year. The kids played with their new toys and after awhile we headed home to nap (ha!). Lily fell instantly asleep in the car since it was way past her nap time and slept for a few hrs when we got home. Wade did not.

Later we went to Mary & Dave's for dinner. Dave made turkey and ham, which were delicious, as always. The kids played and opened presents, while we ate, drank and chatted until Lily started to lose it (she never got her afternoon nap and was past exhausted) and then we headed home. She fell asleep in the car again and I transferred her to her bed and she stayed asleep (for awhile anyway). Wade pretty much fell right to sleep too. Mark looked at me after they were both in bed and said, "Man, Christmas is rough." Yup. But so worth it to see Wade's expression and enjoyment of the whole thing. He kept thanking us all day long and saying (his new favorite expression), "You're the best!"

Another great Christmas Eve & Christmas day! I'm so lucky to be a part of a group of people like this. Although they are technically my in-laws and I am only their daughter-in-law, I have never once felt like anything except family. I feel the same way- they are truly my second family, my home away from home. Merry Christmas everyone!



Merry Christmas!