CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve was a really nice, relaxed day. Which seemed odd, but I enjoyed it. We would be having Christmas Eve "late lunch" at Brian and Rachel's house, so there wasn't a whole lot we needed to do. The main thing on the agenda for the day was Brielle and I (and everyone else) making the ginger molasses cookies for her birthday "cake". We then had a very nice lunch with Brian, Rachel, kids, Rama, Fred and Uncle Kim. We exchanged gifts and I think we found something that both Fred and Rama really liked and could really use. Suspenders for Fred and a bathrobe for Rama. Yeah!! 

We didn't end up acting out the nativity with the cousins, so we did it with just our little family when we got home. It didn't go so well. We didn't have very many willing singers or actors. The kids were starting to act really tired and whiny and cranky. A few hours later we would find out that everyone was getting very sick. We made the little play happen though and at the end of the final song Brielle said, "Well, THAT was THE worst nativity we've ever done." She was probably right. 

We moved quickly along to opening our one Christmas Eve present (pajamas) and got everyone to bed. They were feeling sick, but they were still VERY excited in their new matching pjs.

Scott and I stayed up a little bit later hanging out with Tawna, Evan and Annie. At about 11pm, we were ready to go to bed and wait for Santa to come. Then we heard it. A deep, barking, croup-like cough coming from upstairs. Brielle was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at us in the front room. I went upstairs, picked her up in my arms, wrapped her in a blanket and told her to close her eyes as I walked her outside. We sat on the front steps out in the cold to see if that would help the cough. We gave her some ibuprofen. She said, "I saw what you guys got for Kate. She is going to LOVE that little car! And I'm so excited about the scooters." So, after we put Brielle back to bed, Scott and I stayed up a little longer. 

In the morning, the kids came down to find that Santa left all of his presents by the fireplace for a change. Probably because it's closer to the chimney is what we think. They were so excited to find that he left them each a Mickey or Minnie Mouse shirt and a "ticket" to Disneyland. 

And dear Santa even responded to the kids letters to him with an individually personalized note to each one signed "Merrily Yours, Santa Claus". He ate all the cookies, milk and oranges too.

After a really sick Brielle woke up and had some medicine in her enough to enjoy the morning a little bit, we moved it into the front room to open presents. Kate LOVED her new red coupe! It's still (Feb.) in our front room and she drives it in circles around the kitchen every day.

As of one week before Christmas, Brielle and Ava's only wish was for a plush Elsa and a plush Anna doll from the new movie, Frozen. Scott and I had to go to great lengths to get these dolls, but we did it! (And had to take the original presents we had for them out from under the tree, unwrapped them and took them back.)

And the Christmas morning fun continued.

An art set for Ava.

A remote control car for Zachary. It really is so cool!

A "baby" for Kate. She wouldn't even look at, let alone touch it for a couple of months. She sleeps with it now though.

And lucky me! A portable car battery charger. This really is just what I asked for since our children seem to love to leave the lights in the van on all night long and then they have a screaming mad mom in the morning when we try to go to school.

A jet stream for Scott so that we can all enjoy the "bubbly".

Tawna has become the official Christmas quiche cook. We had it after opening presents for breakfast. It was delish.

With everyone hopped up on medication to keep temps down and help them feeling okay, we decided to go up to the church cultural hall to test out the new scooters. This was especially cool because the wheels light up. With the doors closed the room was pitch black and they loved zooming around with their wheel lights blinking.

And a happy little driver.

It was a very nice, kind of quiet and take it easy Christmas. Which was wonderful!