Christmas Day

{These next few posts are going to be heavy on the pictures [unedited, because at this point I don't want to take the time]. Also, they're backdated, because when I publish my blog I want them in order and included in the 2010 book. And yes, I am that particular.}

We celebrated our family Christmas on Christmas morning. I gotta say...this day just made me happy. In reflecting on it, I suppose that these are the things my little girl dreams were made of when I knew I wanted to be married and raise a family (although I'm sure those dreams also might have included a prettier house and a lot more presents). Being together, celebrating, laughing, smiles, having fun. It was a special day (Christmas and all) but my affection for that morning doesn't come from the gifts that we opened but the feelings of love, gratitude, and blessing that were generated. And us, in all of our imperfections, created an absolutely picture perfect holiday.

Well then. Enough of the sap. Moving along...

I was the first up as I had set my alarm to make our traditional Christmas breakfast - monkey bread. It had just come out of the oven when I heard Drew call for me. I'm pretty sure he had forgotten that it was Christmas morning, as it took some prodding for him to remember that Santa had come during the night. When I walked him into the living room, he didn't want to look at the tree. Scared of what he might see? I'm not sure, but he finally looked and was pretty excited. He promptly went over to see who all the presents belonged to, and began separating them into piles. After about 20 minutes, when he about couldn't stand it any longer, we went up to wake Daddy and Reed. Poor Reed! It was 7:45 and he was still sleeping! I don't think he wanted to wake up! Thankfully he was on the quiet side of morning crankiness and not the crabby side - a little sleepy and not too anxious to open presents. Drew did his best to excite and entertain him. :)

Stockings first.

Santa filled them with sippy cups, markers, books, card games...

...and toothbrushes. Reed was pretty satisfied with the toothbrush. He was so distracted by its awesomeness, he didn't want to open the rest of his gifts!

Diggin' in!

My favorite part - the excitement and expression on his face! Monster Truck Mater will do that to ya.

Finally workin' a gift...look at that determination!

I handmade gifts for each of the boys. For Reed, a Lightening McQueen fleece tie blanket.

He liked it. :)

I guess Drew has been a good boy this year. Santa delivered a Leapster - just what Drew wanted!

And for Reed, Santa delivered the entire Toy Story 3 entourage!

A package of movies for both boys - including, of course, Toy Story 3.

"My very own cars?!?! I don't have to fight Drew for his anymore?!?! YESSSSS!"

(or something like that) :)

This was funny... we were teasing Drew that his big gift was a box of diapers. He, of course, knew that it couldn't be - he doesn't wear diapers, he tells us. This was his expression when he sees that, indeed, the box his gift is wrapped in is a diaper box. Oh, I'm such a mean mom. ;)

He was much happier when he saw that this was inside - my handmade gift for Drew was three Lightening McQueen pillowcases for his new pillow.

The excitement at this point was at an all-time high...like, the-vein-was-sticking-out-in-his-neck kind of excitement.

A step-stool for Reed. He's always bringing the stool out of the bathroom and into the kitchen or wherever so he can get a little lift to see or reach something. Smart that I am, I figured giving him his own stool would eliminate the need to search for the other when Drew needs it in the bathroom. I've been outwitted again --- now, Reed brings both stools out of the bathroom!

By the time we reached the end of opening gifts, Reed was pretty excited about it. Can you tell?

So, Brad is impossible to buy for. He generally doesn't have a lot on his wish list, and what he does have are things that are out-of-our-league financially. Typically, he ends up with clothes or books or something equally as boring. But I really really wanted to surprise him this year. He deserved something great - and he really wanted the Kinect for XBox. I knew that it would be something he'd just buy himself sometime down the line when he felt like we could splurge on it, so I needed to grab it now if I was going to surprise him. I'm happy to say - he was surprised! Best.gift.ever from me to him, if I do say so myself. :)

The chaos when it was done.

Monkey bread!

Y.U.M!

After breakfast we Skyped with Grammy and Papa. When they visited over Thanksgiving, they brought with them one of their Christmas gifts for the boys (and hid it in our basement). It came in a *big* box and they were worried we wouldn't fit it in our van with all of our other stuff when we came for Christmas at their house. Papa assembled it when they were here in November, so they were able to tell Drew and Reed about it over Skype on Christmas morning. I brought it up from the basement and the boys unwrapped....

a new kitchen!

By now it was close to 10, and we had to get moving. We packed up and headed out just after lunch, making our way to Pella to spend Christmas with the Vander Waals.

{We learned a couple important things this year, that we'll do differently next year:

1.) Open, detach from the box, and assemble toys before wrapping. It'll be a lot less work to have all that done before the boys open them!

AND

2.) We didn't get much time to enjoy our gifts (or that wonderful feeling of happiness I described earlier) before we had to get ready and head on out for Iowa. Next year, we won't do that. Our Christmas will get it's own day, with no other plans or schedules or agendas.

Just us.}

:)