EARLY CHRISTMAS

We were planning on flying to California for Christmas this year to visit my dad, so we decided to do our own little Christmas two days before our flight (also because it was a Saturday and we wanted to be able to just chill and enjoy each other and our new toys without having other obligations). The Curtis' were nice enough to lend us their 4 foot tree this year, so we lent our 1 foot tree to the sister missionaries. It was fun to have so much room to decorate!

Some pics of our setup and the kids slowly destroying it... by the end we had moved all of the nicer ornaments and straw from the bottom of the tree...

The night before our Christmas, we made sure we read the Christmas story and tried to watch a version of it on the internet to make sure we remembered the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Then everyone else went excitedly to bed while I set up the presents.

The next morning, the kids were excited (mostly just Shade because Olive was still a bit confused and Eli had no idea what was happening). We had hot chocolate, potatoes, eggs and toast for breakfast. Then we dug into the stockings, and then the presents. Olive ended up having a blast once she realized what was going on. She even wanted to open everyone else's gifts :) And Shade was such a thoughtful sweetheart. He got us all presents from his school (part pretend money and part of his own real money) that he picked out himself - his school supplies things the kids can buy for their families. Shade got me a hand massager, Olive some robot legos, Eli a walking robot, and Kellen an LED portable light.

The main things the kids got this year: Shade - Pokemon cards and his own small kindle (we got it for $35!); Olive - a tea set with play foods, a necklace kit and a warm Frozen blanket; Eli - some of the kids' old toys (I still have a really hard time buying expensive baby toys they lose interest in very quickly) - wooden blocks and stacking rings and cups. Then they all got pajamas, socks, a couple of board/family games, coloring books, and treats. Kellen and I got each other board games too :) He got Cash Flow and I got a Murder Mystery version of Mastermind. We spent the rest of the day playing and trying out all the new stuff. It was such a fun day!

Our attempt at a family picture :)