We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

For the first time since I married him, Buck slept all the way until 7 a.m. on Christmas morning! :) Gabby said she was up at 5:30 and trying to fall back asleep. Christmas morning is so much fun! The kids started with their stockings, and claiming to not be hungry, progressed into their gifts for each other. I think this is their favorite part of Christmas. They know each other well and they buy gifts they know will be enjoyed very much by the receiver--even if it is a box of bacon-flavored Cheezits. :)






I try to wrap the gifts in coordinated paper, so when the kids open snowflakes it's from Grandma J, when it's ornaments it's Grandpa P, when it's cheerful Christmas words it's mom and dad. This way, they can open all the gifts from one family and it makes picture taking way easier on me ;) I only used my cell phone camera this year, so the pics are way blurrier than usual . . . but when you take approximately 600, some will turn out alright, ha! Not super crisp, but great reactions to what's inside Grandma J packages on Christmas morning.




The "FREEZE" pictures are always nice and clear, so I'll include one here :) Brennen was so excited to build his Black Panther Legos from Graysen, we had to convince him to take breaks to open more presents. Grandpa P's gifts included table top curling (which is way more fun than it looks, just like the package says :), music books for Caelan, a kalimba (finger piano) for Gabby--such a soothing sound!, and a robot for Brennen, which he hasn't built yet.







We saved mom and dad gifts for the last. Gabby got a squishy mattress topper, Brennen got a robot arm (we tried to find challenging building gifts for him this year), Graysen got a State Quarter book (like his National Park one) and almost completely filled it with quarters he's already saved (oh, yeah, and a Nerf bow and arrow :). Caelan got a Sally's baking cookbook and a necklace we almost forgot on the tree (Buck says he didn't forget :)

Next, Buck opened his "mystery gift" from the girls. So funny! This box was giant! And on the outside was a picture of what was inside. There was no place to "hide" this but under the tree. So when the girls wrapped it on arrival, and he saw it took both of them to carry it out (like three weeks ago), he smiled and said, "Thanks, girls!!" We figured he'd figure that one out (kind of like the year we wrapped up the hockey stick in the shape of a hockey stick), ha! Graysen gave Buck two sweet Denver Broncos football cards and Brennen gave him a bonsai tree growing kit, because long ago, Buck liked the bonsai tree his mom and I gave him back in California. It's a very relaxing hobby :)








I got the pretty gray scarf I'm wearing in this picture from Caelan. Buck gave me the antler necklace and Christmassy apron. Brennen and Graysen gave me books, and Gabby gave me homemade Queen Anne cherries, yum! Buck said my main gift is still in China. Maybe it's a baby ;) I always wanted one when I was growing up!












While the kids were busy exploring their new gifts, Buck was pretending to take a nap :) I think this  happens every year.




I also had some fun with my most unique Christmas gift . . . gardening gloves with built-in digging fingers! Buck said they were buy one get one free, so apparently I have four of these gloves--or some for a friend. They are fun to take pictures with ;)

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Graysen wasted notime building the metal classic car "WITH WHITE WALL TIRES!" from Gabby. And then he was first at the table for lunch (we had cinnamon bread and hot chocolate between stockings and gifts, but he wasn't hungry then). He'd requested French toast, so we made it traditional AND with the cinnamon bread--whoa! Bacon and syrup as sides . . . we basically ate like Buddy the Elf for three days at our house :)







After lunch, Caelan got started on her Artisan bread (yummy!) for Christmas dinner, Graysen built his trio of robots--one flosses, one walks, and one flaps like a bird; they're made of paper :) The kids tried out the Star Wars card games they found near their stockings, the boys played with their new Nerf (Brennen got a ball-shooting gun from Caelan) outside in the amazing 50 degree weather--on Christmas! If I can't get a white Christmas, I'll definitely take sunny and unseasonably warm as a second option :) Buck got his bow case set up, and everyone got to video chat with Grandma J and Auntie Z. Next year, we need to remember to dial in when the kids are opening her gifts. That would be fun to share!



























Our Christmas dinner was Traeger smoked ham, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes with ham gravy (it turned out really well!), broiled broccoli, and Caelan's bread. So tasty!





After dinner, we watched Finding Dory which was one of Graysen's gifts from us--the shells laid out in every possible direction from Dory's parents' home gets me every time!!! 

I was simultaneously doing my best to finish Robinson Crusoe--I know it's a classic, but seriously--sooo boring! Sorry if this is your favorite book, lol! I think the boys might like it, but the sailing the seas genre does not appeal to me, and apparently it appealed to the entire world in centuries gone by. I'm thinking this might be one we'll audio book, just so I know everyone is actually "reading" it. Getting attacked by 300 wolves was kind of interesting (and unlikely ;) 

Another unlikely thing--our tree is already down! I know. I would keep it up all year if I could, but Buck started getting bad headaches, and Graysen sounded like he had a chest cold coming on, and Brennen was sneezing, I even felt a little weird in the breathing department, so due to  that and post-Christmas restlessness/lack of things to do, I had the kids help me take the tree down yesterday . . . just three days past Christmas! Unheard of! All the other decorations are up, and the lights are still on outside, also, it snowed a few inches unexpectedly, so that's how I'll preserve my Christmas feel a little longer. After all, Caelan has a work Christmas party tonight, tomorrow night is our church school ladies' gift exchange, Christmas cards are still arriving in the mail, and we still have Christmas coming with my family . . . it's not over yet! :)