Merry Christmas, 2011

I have been MIA here for a few weeks, spending time with my family and enjoying the holidays.  The boys are back in school and we are trying to reestablish our routines and get organized.  Here's a recap of our Christmas fun.

Christmas Eve, the boys enjoyed some cousin time and helped make our Santa cookies by unwrapping a bag of Hershey's Kisses.

Some little helpers sampled a few in the process.  We need quality control right?

We had a yummy Mexican food dinner together, then put on the annual Nativity play.  We had to get a little creative with our play, having five boys and no girls.  Thanks Aunt Jenny for being a good sport and playing Mary!  Isn't Mr. Three the cutest little blinged out cherub?

We opened Christmas Eve gifts (pajamas and new tee shirts) and had a little before-bed cookie before hitting the road to look at Christmas lights.

Then, we headed home to put the kiddos to bed and finish last minute Christmas wrapping, etc.  After staying up late two nights in a row, we thought maybe the boys would sleep in a little.  Not really so.  Mr. One was up and in our room, wide-eyed, at 6:00 am, followed by Mr. Two at 6:20, then finally Mr. Three was up around 7:00.  I'm not complaining.  I know this is sleeping in for most families on Christmas morning.  Plus, they were so good and didn't touch a thing until we were all in the room together, just lots of looking and guessing.

Mike and I loved watching the boys opening their gifts one by one.  They were genuinely excited about each present, from the small and inexpensive, to the larger gifts.  Mr. Three especially loved ripping into the wrapping paper and not getting in trouble for it! 

Mr. One and Mr. Two wanted Legos, Legos and Legos, and a few car items.  Mr. Three loves things that light up and talk, especially phones.  We tried to accomodate those wishes as best we could, and Santa always picks out one special item that we know they really want.  For Mr. One, it was a Hero Factory robot, for Mr. Two, a different Hero Factory robot (he asked for a remote control car, but was lucky enough to get one early for his birthday), and for Mr. Three, a toddler-friendly cell phone.

As a big gift, the whole family got a Nintendo wii.  We've been debating on getting one for several years now, and the price was right this year.  We got Mario Kart, a Hot Wheels game and Toy Story Mania.  It will be something our whole family can enjoy together.  (I admit Mike and I have been playing after the kids go to bed, too. Gotta love Mario Kart!)

I can't help it, I love the matching pajamas.  I can't resist and will keep this tradition up as long as I can!

We had Mexican sweet bread and hot chocolate for breakfast before getting ready for church.  Yum!

We had a wonderful time attending church that morning and felt the Spirit so strongly (I think I cried through most of it).  Mr. One declared that Christmas day was the best day ever because Daddy didn't have to go to meetings that Sunday.  To have Mike home was my favorite gift this year.

We went over to my parents' home after church and had a traditional Christmas dinner with ham, rolls, green bean casserole and all kinds of sweets.  It was so good to be surrounded by family and to just sit around and visit.  We were also able to Skype with my brother who is serving a mission in Brazil.  I think he was a bit weirded out by how big the boys are getting.  It was good to see him and hear his voice.  He is working hard and loves the people he serves.  We're looking forward to seeing him when he comes home in February.

We also spent a lot of time building Lego sets with the boys.  (OK, Mike spent a lot of time helping them build, I just watched.)

We made the decision to keep Christmas morning to ourselves, just our little family for a time before going to see the extended family.  It was nice to let the morning unfold at our own pace and really experience Christmas together, then to join in all of the fun with our extended family.  I feel blessed to have enjoyed the quiet times and the noisy times,  to have create some magic for my children and be in the moment.  I love creating our own traditions with Mike and carrying on some of our childhood traditions as well.  It is times like these that make me so grateful to be a wife and a mother.  I am always a little sad when Christmas is over, just because this time is so precious.

Hoping all who are reading had a joyful Christmas as well and I'm wishing you a fantastic New Year!