Christmas Day

The kids slept wonderfully on Christmas Eve.  That allowed Santa to come uninterrupted and do his yuletide thing.  It also allowed an exhausted Mom and Dad some much needed rest. :)  It was about 7:30 am before Claire woke up.  We waited a few more minutes for Sophie and Johnny to start moving around, and then just before 8:00 am Daddy and Luke came in our room to join us.  Daddy went out ahead of the kids and me to take a picture of the loot pre-destruction, and to be poised to take video footage of the initial reaction.

First, we made sure that Santa found our culinary offerings.  He did.  And if the crumbs were any indication, he enjoyed those scrumptious Christmas cakes! :)

And there's nothing quite as magical as the Christmas tree on Christmas morning, loaded down with gifts.  The kids were out-of-their minds excited when they saw all those presents!  

After we got the kids calmed down after seeing the tree, they took a look at what Santa brought them.  Just what they wanted!  Bikes and DreamLites!  Johnny got the Spiderman bike he asked for, and Luke got a cool toy that he can play with sitting up, and then walk behind when he starts to toddle!  The boys also got a the puppy DreamLite to share for their room.  

And the girls got exactly the bikes they asked for as well.  Sophie was so excited about her pink, sparkly Princess bike with the basket in front to carry her princess doll in, and Claire was ecstatic over her pink Hello Kitty bike, with her big Hello Kitty basket in front.  And the girls were totally okay to share their unicorn DreamLite, since it didn't really make sense for them each to have their own since they share a room.  That Santa is one smart dude. :)

The kids also got fun stuff in their stockings.  There was a toothbrush for each of them, and of course candy and some fun little toys.  Once they went through their stockings, they were completely content to play with their Santa gifts.  We could barely get them to turn their attention to the dozens and dozens of gifts wrapped under the tree!

But finally, we were able to get them off their bikes and back on the floor to open more presents!

We started them off with some of the presents that Danny and I bought them.  Claire and Sophie both got a Lolaloopsy Doll.  They were very pleased about that!

And Johnny got a couple of action figures.  I can't believe my little boy is already old enough to actually play with action figures, complete with sound effects and all.  He loved his Iron Man and Spiderman guys!

And Johnny got a learning pad from Mom and Dad!  Another noisy toy that is button-activated.  Awesome for Luke, slightly annoying for us. :)

And this year the older kids got piggy banks.  Someday, we're going to figure out a way to get them earning some of their own money, so they're going to need a safe place to put it.

Next were sibling gifts.  I love that the girls are getting old enough to write their own gift tags.  I think it's absolutely adorable!  Sophie had Johnny this year, and she had no trouble shopping for him at all.  

A Tonka tow truck!  That lights up and makes siren noises, of course. :)

Claire had Luke this year, and though I don't have a picture of it, Luke loved his gift from his biggest sister.  She picked an Ernie doll that is sick with a cold.  When you press his nose, he sneezes and says "Can I have a hug?"  She thought that was appropriate for her sick little brother.  

Johnny had Sophie, and with Daddy's help he knew just what Sophie would love.  Walkie Talkies that look like iPhones!  Awesome!  Sophie was simply dumbfounded, and I'm not sure she has ever completely figured out how to use them as walkie talkies. 

And Luke shopped for Claire this year.  Anyone that knows Claire knows she totally into Hello Kitty right now.  So it wasn't hard to find her something she would go bonkers for.  And bonkers she did go... :)

The kids had so much fun getting gifts from each other, but I can honestly say that were at least as excited to give their gifts to each other.  Danny and I love to see their friendships grow.

After siblings gifts, the kids went wild!  The kids got so many presents, I can't even begin to recount them all.   We were the beneficiaries of quite a bit of Christmas kindness this year.  Our friends from California sent a huge box full of presents for the kids, and some of Danny's close friends from high school also put together a box of presents.  People in the ward brought things, and we were visited by Secret Santa, too.  What's funny is that Danny and I had decided that this year we were going for quality over quantity. :)

Johnny got a Spiderman punching bag and gloves from Aunt Jessie and Uncle Devin.  We had to instruct him to hit only the bag, and not his sisters. :)  The girls received Princess Paper Dolls that they were able to paint and design themselves.  Thanks, Aunt Jessie and Uncle Devin!

Some kind person made the cutest scarves for the kids.  Surprisingly enough, they wear them all the time!

Luke had so much fun during his first Christmas!  And he was feeling so good that morning, which was it's own Christmas miracle.  He got so many fun toys, we had a whole new set for home and the hospital!

This was the Christmas haul this year.  Yeah, a little ridiculous!  But this was a life-changing Christmas for me.  I have never been on the receiving end of so much service.  I learned from family, friend, and stranger alike what it means to be a true Christian.  Next Christmas, and every other after that, will be a little less about us and a little more about someone else.  

Next we got all the wrapping paper disposed of, and boxes thrown out, and basically tried to add some order to the chaos.  While we were tidying up, I looked outside and noticed how beautiful the morning was.  It was the perfect Christmas morning.

Then I realized that this was not only Luke's first Christmas, but it was our family's first Christmas in our new home!  It was also our first Christmas morning at home as a family.  Every other Christmas since Danny and I were married, we've traveled to one of our parents' homes for Christmas morning.  It was SO nice to be home as a family, especially since we had been apart so much since Luke got sick.  I looked around, and didn't want to forget how our house felt on this very special morning.  I loved the fruit and poinsettia on the kitchen table. 

And I love the mugs my Mom bought me.  I love that we're starting to get some decorations that the kids will love to see come out of the boxes every year.  For some reason, it really feels like I'm becoming a real Mom! :)

The best sight of all had to be the Overnight Breakfast Casserole that is definitely a Christmas tradition!  So delicious!  

It was after I had a moment to breathe in our Christmas surroundings, and sneak a bite or two of our casserole, that I noticed the next best thing about Christmas morning.  The kids happily playing with all their exciting, new toys.  There is nothing quite like Christmas morning toys.

Johnny just cracked me up.  He got a whole bunch of new cars and trucks, and being the little OCD organizer he is (a boy definitely after his Mama's heart), he had to sort them out and line them up!

And the truck-train wasn't complete without his biggest set of wheels! :)  What an adorable boy I have!

Wow.  What an incredible Christmas!  But...this was only Christmas Part 1!  At around 10:00 am, Grandma Candy and Uncle Nick came to visit and kicked off Christmas Part 2.  Uncle Nick was in town for the holidays from Boston, and it was fun to get to visit for a while.  This was his first time meeting Luke.  Both Nick and Luke were a little freaked out. :) 

We were supposed to meet up with Grandpa Richard and Grandma Ruth Ann on Christmas Eve, but with Luke coming home and some inclement weather, we didn't get to.  But Uncle Nick was kind enough to play Santa and bring their gifts with him.  This was his Sexy Santa face.  A little creepy, right? :)

Grandpa Richard and Grandma Ruth Ann knew just what to get the kids!  Johnny got everything super hero.

The girls got just what they wanted, too.

Claire got everything Hello Kitty (sensing a theme, here?)...

...and Sophie got everything Princess!

Danny and I got some awesome square stoneware plates.  I love having pretty dishes!

We also got a gift card to share, and my Dad threw in a necklace for me. :)

After Grandma Candy and Uncle Nick went home, we spent the day trying to relax.  We just enjoyed being together.  We had an incredible Christmas morning!  Around 4:00 pm, Grandma Candy and Uncle Nick came back, bearing gifts of brisket and pie.  Since we couldn't go there for Christmas dinner, they brought dinner to us!  It was delicious, and we dutifully overstuffed ourselves.  What an amazing Christmas.

But it wasn't over yet!

Christmas Part 3 began with the arrival of Grandma and Papa!  They, of course, also came bearing gifts.  At this point, the kids thought they presents were literally never going to stop!  Johnny got some awesome Legos, which Grandma knew he would love.  She knows from watching him at school how much he loves building things.  Danny thinks Johnny will definitely be our engineer.

Papa helped Johnny get started. :)

Claire and Sophie each got a Princess baby doll.

And Sophie knew just what to do with hers!

Great Grandma Lovell gave us a gift the whole family could enjoy.  Candy delicacies wrapped up in these adorable boxes!   

And Grandma and Papa gave Danny and I some awesome books, and the original Christmas gift...

...frankincense, gold, and myrrh! :)

Thank you, Grandma and Papa, for adding to our most incredible Christmas ever!

And it truly was.  It is obvious that gift-wise, this Christmas was pretty epic.  But underneath all the wrapping paper and bows, it really was the most incredible Christmas ever.  We started out this holiday season with a cancer diagnosis for our sweet baby Luke just a week before Thanksgiving.  We were consumed with his care and trying to keep life normal for the older three kids that we had very little time to prepare for or feel the Christmas spirit much of the time.  We were so blessed to have Luke home for Christmas, and the timing of everything was providential.  We didn't get to bring him home because it was Christmas.  He just happened to be done with his first round of chemo.  We needed that time together.  At the time, we had no idea what the future held for Luke, and every minute as a family was a tender mercy.  

We are so grateful for our many friends and family that made our life bearable during those crazy holiday months.  We literally could not have done it without the help.  But this year, more than any before, we are deeply and humbly grateful for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I can safely say that we have never needed Him as much, and we have never before felt so close to Him, as during this struggle with Luke's health.  I know that our Lord and Savior was born in Bethlehem, a little babe.  I know that he lived and died for each of us.  And I know that he broke the bands of death that we, too, might live forever.  It is for the gift of the Atonement and Resurrection that Danny and I are most grateful for this Christmas.  Those gifts allow us everything we have, and will keep us together as a family forever, no matter what this life may bring.

Merry Christmas!!