Christmas morning had finally arrived! Everyone slept well the night before, and even the adults got to bed at a pretty good time. Best of all, the kids managed to sleep in until about 7:30ish. Not too shabby! Once they were up, I sneaked out to get some pictures of the tree and Santa gifts before the kids dove in. It was a pretty impressive sight! Our kids are so spoiled!
The kids all got exactly what they asked for from Santa! I guess they've been pretty good kids this year. :) They were so excited when they came out of our room. I love that about Christmas morning!
Johnny LOVED his giant remote controlled truck. He couldn't believe how big it was!
And Luke was beyond stoked about his little riding horse. He wasn't exactly sure how to get moving on it yet, but he was excited to find out!
Then there's Claire and her Jingle. Claire has been asking for Jingle for Christmas since Sophie got her Belle (girl version) for her birthday...in September. :) Claire might be the most easily distracted child I've ever known, but she had no problem focusing on Jingle! For weeks before Christmas, every time we were in a store that sold anything remotely toy related, she'd say, "I sure hope Santa has a Jingle for me! I've got my eye on that Jingle..." This girl cracks me up! And she was a very happy 6 year-old come Christmas morning. She got her Jingle after all. :)
Sophie had a very specific gift in mind from Santa as well. She wanted this big Princess castle that she saw at Toys R Us, and she wouldn't budge. Not even when we showed her all the smaller castles that Santa might more easily be able to accommodate. Sophie always knew that Santa would deliver. After all, she had been a VERY good girl this year! So while she was so excited to see her castle set up and waiting for her, she wasn't surprised in the least. :)
The thing I love about Santa is that he doesn't wrap the gifts for our house. It cracks me up every year that the kids hardly notice the hoards of wrapped gifts under the tree after they see their Santa gifts. The kids and Danny played with the toys for a while before we moved on to the tree.
Right before the kids started pulling presents from underneath the tree, they noticed the gift I put together for their art table. We all agreed that it looked pretty, and solved our organization dilemma. Merry Christmas to Mom! :)
The kids made a haul again this year! They especially loved the gifts they bought for each other, which I think is so neat. They really do think about what sibling they're shopping for, and what will make them happy. I think they do a better job of shopping for each other than Danny and I do of shopping for them! Without too much narration, here's Christmas morning 2013!
What a fun Christmas morning! After we were done with all the presents, and we cleaned up the masses of wrapping paper, boxes, and bows...it was time to play! I got the kids a little something to eat to tide them over until brunch at Grandma Candy's house, and then let them have at their presents. What a perfect morning...
Grandma and Papa came to see the kids' Christmas presents, as well as give the kids the gifts they bought for them. Danny and I love the fact that we don't have to travel for Christmas anymore! Let the grandparents come to us! :)
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In the sibling gift exchange for Danny's family, Aunt Katie got us this year. She got us a much needed antennae for our TV. And our gift from Mom and Dad was pretty awesome this year...tickets to see Wicked when it come to Salt Lake City next summer! Can't wait!!
And with that, our Christmas morning was done. It went by quickly, like it always does. But it was perfect this year. It was exactly the Christmas Danny and I had been waiting for for years. How grateful we are that we had all our children with us, at home and healthy. What a miracle it is that we got another Christmas with Luke. It was on all our minds that we weren't suppose to have this Christmas with Luke, and it kept the real reason for this season close to our hearts. We are so grateful for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For his life, death, and especially for his Atonement. Everything we have is because of Him.
Christmas morning may be done, but we're just getting started with Christmas! On to brunch at Grandma Candy's!
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