We tried to set a time limit on how early the kids could wake up and get out of bed on Christmas morning. I vaguely remember a pre-dawn Christmas in the last few years which eventually ended up ruining the rest of all of our day due to pure exhaustion! In order to avoid a repeat performance, the time limit we set was 7:00 a.m. Damien and I thought about making it later but knew that it would be purely selfish so we could get some much needed sleep.
Sure enough on Christmas morning, I could hear the hardwood floors crack as Claire tip toed out to the front room and then back to her room. The clock read 6:45 a.m. Violater! At 7:00 a.m. sharp, three sleepy eyed kids burst into our room asking for permission to enter the Christmas toy wonderland. Emily was sleeping at the time but was jolted awake as Claire said to her, "Emily, wake up! Let's see if Santa came!"
I went ahead of the kids with the camera to video the ooh and ahhhs as they saw that Santa had indeed come! Michael and Claire knew just what to do and darted over to what looked like presents for them. Matthew was wide eyed and full of amazement but didn't quite know what to do with himself. Emily saw candy canes and was gone! It all happened so fast! So many kids, so many hoots and hollers!
Michael was so excited to see the Xbox 360 Kinect. He absolutely ignored every other gift set out there- like Santa knew he would! Claire was equally excited to see the Kinect but loved her other gifts, especially her stocking. She loves to take each and every little tiny thing out of her stocking and enjoy it. It is so sweet! Matthew knew immediately which pile was his. Sitting there was his Lego Airplane, Green Hex Bug, and his brand new Batman Video game. He simply couldn't believe it! It was so magical for him! Emily loved watching all of her siblings open their gifts and only went to her pile after watching Michael, Claire, and Matthew for a few minutes! Once she noticed her own pile, she was so excited! She hugged her new baby doll and loved her new potty chair! What a morning!
After the mad morning gift rush, we all sat down for a yummy breakfast that I had prepared in the early morning. Egg frittata, cinnamon rolls, fresh pineapple, hot chocolate and orange juice rushed into my kids stomachs and tried to counteract the major sugar rush that was already taking place! I was praying that they would get some protein in their bodies so they wouldn't get sick from all of the early morning life savers, candy canes, and chocolate goodness! Over breakfast, it was overwhelming to look around at all of the love at the table. My beautiful children, my amazing husband . . . I am so incredibly blessed.
Christmas afternoon, we went over to Mark and Jocelyn's house for Christmas dinner. They did such a great job hosting! The whole family was there, the turkey dinner was delicious, desserts were amazing, their house was so beautifully decorated, and it was just a wonderful and warm evening. Jocelyn planned a really fun game where our big group was divided into sub-groups and we were all given a verse to
The 12 Days of Christmas. It was hilarious! We not only had to sing it but we had to act it out as we sang the song. In particular- the kids loved it!
We had our annual Cousin Christmas gift exchange and our adult gift exchange, too! Fun was had by all! It truly was a wonderful night.
Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends. You have all been there for us over the years and we wouldn't be where we are without your love, support, help, and laughter. Merry Christmas!
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