Christmas morning.... my parents, grandparents and Charles' parents were all going to be here by 7:00. I was half way expecting the boys to wake up super early in which case we'd have to hold them off until at least 7 but they slept until they heard the happy noises of all their grandparents and a set of great grandparents! The excitement on their faces was what everyone was so excited to see and they definitely got what they came for! :) I shot a video of them running out that morning to see what Santa had brought but it turned out a little dark (I'll work on it and see what I can do in order for it to be posted). Chase didn't know where to go first... he was so overwhelmed by everyone being here and he couldn't decide if he wanted to get some loves first or go straight to the toys brought by Santa. He chose to give some loves first (which did my heart good) and then went over to enjoy the toys. Santa brought the boys a kitchen and a workbench.... both huge hits!! After enjoying their new toys for a few minutes we gave them their stockings and they loved going through those huge stockings and finding all those new things!! Flashlights, new sunglasses, some M&Ms, a new hat for Jacob and some sticker/coloring books... they were in Heaven, and we hadn't even gotten to the rest of the presents!!
Once the stockings were opened we had a time of reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas and Pop-Pop prayed. Then we enjoyed a yummy breakfast... breakfast casserole that my mother-in-law brought and coffee cake, juice and coffee. We were all planning on having our big meal for lunch so we kept breakfast on the lighter side. Luke slept through all the excitement so I decided to let him get his rest and he could have his Christmas when he woke up for the day.... it actually worked out great because I could really focus on the boys, on breakfast and on everything else that was happening.
Chase was so cute this year... his reaction to every single gift he opened was priceless. He would open a present and it was like it was the most amazing thing ever... then he'd move on to the next gift and his reaction would be the same! Pure joy and excitement over it all and it was so much fun to watch him!
Jacob took his time opening his gifts... he would carefully rip the wrapping paper, peek at what it was, show tons of excitement and then open it the rest of the way. He needed a little help with a few of the bigger gifts but that is what Ginga's are for! :) The blankets were gifts from their GG & Goomba and they have been the biggest hit... after playing in the snow they had to get wrapped up in order to warm up, after bath time they both have to get wrapped up. They love their new blankets and I have to admit, they are so cozy and warm! The thank you hugs followed and both boys loved going around and thanking everyone for their presents and for being here with them on such a special morning. These boys are beyond blessed with two sets of grandparents who love the Lord and love them with all their hearts and how fun it was to have them all here on Christmas morning!
Once the boys were finished it was time for them to go play with their new things and let the adults have their Christmas! I was so excited for my parents and my grandparents to open their gifts... it is exactly what we did for them last year but both gifts are things that are treasured all year long! My grandparents get a calendar made by all of their grandchildren that includes many, many pictures of their great-grands from the previous year!!
My parents get a photo book put together by all of us that goes month by month through the year, documenting how much their grandchildren grown and changed and all the fun things we did each month! We did this for the first time last year and that book has been looked at, looked at some more, and looked at again.
My mom realized what it was as soon as Dad took it out of the box and could hardly wait to start looking at it! I love her expression in this picture, nothing better!!
They could look at these books forever and it's so fun to be able to do something for them that brings them so much joy throughout the entire year! About that time Luke started to stir so it was finally his time to enjoy his first Christmas!
Luke wasn't quite sure what to think about all the commotion but he sure loved the attention he was getting! He loves his new mirror and it has already gotten a ton of use! He got lots of fun things that he will enjoy as he gets a little older and a little bit bigger! :)
The rest of the morning was great... we enjoyed lots of time to relax! Our Christmas meal consisted of ham, sweet potatoes, crock pot macaroni and cheese, green beans, Goomba's very own coleslaw, rolls, cranberry sauce, and of course, pie for dessert. Perfect!!
This Christmas we all got some amazing gifts from those who love us and we gave some amazing gifts to those we love.... but Christmas 2010 will not be remembered because of the gifts given or received. But for me, Christmas 2010 will always be special because of all the time we had with our family. If you had asked me 5 years ago if I thought I would spend Christmas in my own house, with my own children, my parents and my grandparents, I would have probably said no. The Lord has been so good to allow my grandparents to stay in such good health over these last 10 years and I am so grateful for that! They were always there for our Christmas mornings growing up and it was so amazing to have them here with me and my family for this Christmas! Thank you Mom and Dad, GG & Goomba for being here with us and sharing Christmas with us!! Thank you also to Ginga and Jupe for getting up early and driving over to be with us. Just because we live in town now doesn't mean we don't want you over for fun moments, like Christmas morning and we were so thrilled to have you both here with us!! We thought a lot about the family not able to be with us... family all the way in Japan and family spread out over the states... we missed them a lot this Christmas but look forward to the next time we'll all be together again!!
Jacob played and played with his new kitchen. He loves to pretend and also loves to open and close and put things away. The kitchen is perfect for all of those things!! :)
Chase was wiped out after a super fun and busy Christmas... that night all he wanted to do was curl up in his new blanket and read his new Tiger book that Daddy gave him!! Such a fun Christmas!!!
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