Christmas 2009

What a fun Christmas we had. Here are just a few of the highlights...

...lots of hot-chocolate-smiles...


...some treat-snitching while making a gingerbread house...




...that actually never stayed up...



...but we still had fun trying and eating the treats from it...






...a little brotherly love and wrestling...




...lots of snuggling by the fire place...



...some more snuggling and Christmas stories...

And of course Chritmas Eve and Christmas Day. Sadly, on Christmas Eve we were all sick with the flu. Everyone was sick and tired. We spent the day eating crackers, drinking gatorade, and trying to relax between throwing up. Benson fell asleep before the kids even got to open up their new Christmas sweat pants. We watched the Nativity movie made by the church, read the Christmas story, sang Away in a Manger and went to bed. Santa woke David and I up around 3:00am. He needed a little help getting some presents put out (they were just to heavy for him all by himself). I wanted to wake up the kids after he left (around 5:ooam) but we decided that since everyone was sick we would let them (and us) sleep a little longer. Gracie came and woke us up around 7:00. She came running into my room saying she had gone to peek and Santa came and can we please get up now. I sent her in to wake up her brothers and we all made our way down the hall to see what surprises Santa left.

Gracie got a "big pink craft box" (a pink tote with art supplies in it) and a big easel, and a Straberry Shortcake Doll which she proclaimed was "just what she wanted!" I have a video of them all coming out on Christmas morning, but I am having a hard time posting it... I just can't remember how and everything I have tried isn't working. :(

Here is David and me looking a little bit like death warmed over, which is pretty much how we felt.

Here are Sammy and Benson playing with their new train table. Sammy has barely left it alone for a minute since Christmas. I think we have replaced the battery in Thomas 4 times since Christmas he has been so well loved!

We got a lot of other great presents, but the greatest gift we got was being able to feel the Spirit of Christmas in our home. We had a truly beautiful Christmas despite the sickness, and the busyness. Gracie goes to a Christian preschool and to have her come home singing songs about the Savior's birth all month has been wonderful! We have so much to be grateful for!