Merry Christmas!

The kids came home from their Mom's house last night at around 10PM. They went right to bed fairly easily (as soon as we laid out cookies and milk for Santa) in hopes that Santa would come. Santa came in the middle of the night of course. I ended up being really surprised because when I was a kid I am sure I would be awake by 4AM on Christmas morning. I kept anticipating, and waiting for them to come bouncing out there. They both slept clear until almost 9AM! Way past the normal 7-8AM wake up time! They are still little and above all else, I am sure they were totally exhausted from the last couple of days. It was so much fun to have them here first thing in the morning this year, and to be able to relax and spend all of Christmas Day with them (last year they spent all morning with their Mom and then came here in the afternoon). Santa certainly spoiled them. Santa usually brings one big present to each of the kids, fills their stockings, and then brings a few odds and ends. I always give them a couple of presents as well. Santa gave T a huge remote control Hummer H3. He loved it and was so excited the moment he saw it. He drove it quite a bit today. Santa gave A this really cool art table that connects to a TV or a computer. She also was so excited and instantly recognized it as an art table. It takes pictures of people or pictures of whatever you lay on its table. You can then add funny accessories, distort the picture, add borders, add graphics, make greeting cards, or draw stuff on them. It also gives you the option of playing games or just drawing and having what you draw appear as well. You then can save and e-mail things for people. It is right up A's alley, and she loved it.

I gave A the Let's Go Fishing game. The kids loved playing it, but fished by color more than anything else. Heaven forbid A get a blue fish and T get a pink one!

I gave T Operation. They had quite the time trying to keep it from buzzing and lighting up when they were performing surgery today.


Here the kids are opening presents. T gave A a Littlest Pet Shop Ostrich. A gave T a Lego jet. Besides the games, I also gave the kids "Kung Fu Panda," and Horton Hears a Who." Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids puzzles as well as some cash to spend. From their cousins they received a Scene It? Disney DVD trivia game. In our ward, our home teachers gave the kids "The Legend of Frosty the Snowman" DVD. There were also a few couples with grown children that brought by little treats and things just for the kids.

Santa had just stopped by! Even though this picture shows the Hummer taking up half of the love seat, it still does not depict how big this thing is. It is at least half as big as either of the kids.

VIDEO: I made this ramp for T to drive his new toy up and down. He was having a blast. Here are a series of driving school mishaps that were hilarious. It is a good thing that Santa got a protection policy for this thing in case it quits working for whatever reason. Most of the time T drove it pretty well though.

Overall, it was a great day. Christmas with kids is so much better than it is with just adults. I love seeing the excitement and light in their eyes. We truly are so blessed and fortunate to have all that we do. The presents are so fun and exciting, but at the end of the day, the blessings from our Savior are so much greater. I loved that the kids continued to refer to the Savior throughout the day. I was so proud of them. They were so concerned with giving to others and remembering the Savior's birth. It truly is the reason for the season. I hope that each of you also had a very Merry Christmas, and that you felt the loving warmth of the spirit of his birth this year.