CHRISTMAS MORNING

The kids had worn themselves out on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house.  It was 8:20 before anybody was awake.  David and I had been up for a while, I put a yummy Sour cream blueberry coffee cake in the over and we waited..........

The text came from the basement.............we are awake!  Of course, Dad had to check the living room and light the fire (EASY), while the kids waited on the stairs. 

After the kids enjoyed their stockings they realized that there wasn't anything from Santa - but a note!  Madi read the note out loud and the hunt was on.  Where was it?

 

 KC re-read and tried to figure out where Santa had left his gift for them. 

THE GARAGE!!!!  Santa ran into a "SNAG" during the night and couldn't finish putting the swing set together, but he left it partially assembled in the garage.  The girls noted quickly that reindeer shouldn't be allowed to wait inside garages for Santa because they had left reindeer droppings by the box of parts. Those darn reindeer!

Sugar was content with her gift all morning long.

 Everyone enjoyed their gifts, even the boys like getting clothes now - if they come from the right place.

The girls got their very first AERO outfits!  It's hard to believe they are old enough for that.

This year we did something a little different.  Instead each child buying a gift for each sibling, everybody earned $20.  On the 23rd we had each family member draw a name of someone else, and we included mom and dad in the mix.  Then we started shopping.  The rules stated that you had to spend the entire $20.  The kids had a ton of fun shopping and figuring out just how far they could make $20 go!   The secrets were hard to keep, even for 48 hours.  Mom got a purse and Alexis got a rocking horse for her bitty babies.  

 Madi loved her horses, and Kiersten got a Momma cat and baby kitten that purrrrr.  That is the closest that we will ever get to having a cat in the house.

KC and CJ scored on the Frisbee's and GUNS!  Yes, they both got two guns.......rubber band guns, and air soft pistols.  Maybe Mom is getting soft in her old age.  They also loved their remote controlled helicopters that Santa left for them.  They both mastered flying quickly, and there were only a few crashes into the tree.  FYI - glass ornaments break when hit by helicopter blades, but they look really cool when a perfect slice of glass is missing out of the side.

After a perfect Christmas Morning,  everyone was all tuckered out.  BUT........there was still one more gift hiding at the very back of the tree.........

 WOW, what could these go to?  The hunt was on again, only this time, the camera got left inside.  Believe it or not, Mom and Dad's present to the family had been in the garage the whole time.  It took a while to find it, but working together they did it.  After bringing it in the house we took it down stairs and had an assembly party.  The Ping-Pong table takes up a big chunk of the family room but it's worth it.  The kids have really enjoyed playing on it, and it's great to fold clothes on:)