I considered whipping up a quick Christmas morning collage for you to glance at.
But then I realized that I simply can't keep my mouth shut. I have to post the pictures one by one so that I can comment away as my heart desires. Because I can't keep my mouth shut. I always considered myself rather reserved, but apparently not. So here we go.
Christmas morning:
Looks like Santa showed up!
The proof? The cookies and celery are gone, and it looks like Santa left some breakfast.
(Credit for the little boxes of cereal goes to my friend Skye. Santa always brought her family mini cereal boxes for breakfast, and I snapped up that idea. I love the idea of an elaborate, full-blown breakfast on Christmas morning. But all my kids ever want is cereal, so a fancy breakfast is too much work for just two people--especially when I want to be playing with my kids. Also, when David and Mary see those little boxes at the grocery store, they BEG for them, unsuccessfully. Now Santa has endeared himself to them even more. It was the perfect idea for our family, at least for the next few years.)
Next, the BIG REVEAL...
Meanwhile,
And Mary finally got to put her hand in her sock to see what Santa put there.
She'd been talking about putting her hand in her sock all week. And Santa didn't disappoint.Bowls of cereal were eaten and the bounty of Santa's gifts enjoyed...
...which meant the beginning of LEGOPALOOZA...
Greg got started on (and finished) the Starfighter...
and David proudly showed it off...
(Do you know what a beautiful thing that is, to have a daddy around to assemble the toys???)
But David also accomplished an important Lego feat. For the first time, he built a set totally on his own!
Way to go, David!
We decreed that before we could open the presents under the tree, everyone had to be dressed.
EVERYONE had to be dressed.
I even showered! (This we take from Greg's family. Everyone is fed, showered, and properly dressed before the opening of the presents under the tree. I'm not sure if matching Wisconsin T-shirts is "properly dressed," but I will admit that it's kinda nice and less stinky NOT to be in your pj's the whole day.)
Then it was the distribution of gifts...
...some big...
...some little...
...and we were ready to begin.
Presents were opened...
....some big...
...some little...
...and all appreciated, very much...
For David, each present was like scoring a touchdown!
He would shout, "YES! Just what I always wanted!!"
Now I could show you two million pictures of David opening up Legos. But I won't. But know that I could.
David was in heaven. It truly was Legopalooza!David shows his excitement with unbridled enthusiasm. (He's fun to have around.)
Mary, on the other hand, shows her excitement with exact adherence to the ritual. (It's fun to have her around too.)
She carefully "read" every tag.
And she waited patiently for her turn, often with a present resting gently in her lap.
She loved the structure of turn-taking, and even said once, "I love taking turns!" She also kept everyone on track throughout the morning.
We love having Mary in our family!
And now I will show you some pictures of this precious little girl. Because I can.
This last picture here is great...
Aunt Charity intuitively knew in her heart of hearts that Mary would LOVE having a lint-roller. And she was right! Mary got right to town with that gift. Some gifts are truly inspired!
The morning's damage...
The generosity of many loved ones contributed to the grand success of Christmas morning. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And it was so wonderful to be together as a family. (Unlike last year.) I love our family!
And I can tell I am officially a parent now. Because my favorite gift was this one, handmade by that precious little girl I was telling you about:
(I love Christmas. I love my family. I love them both together!)
So, then, with all of the gifts unwrapped, what did we do?
We ate cinnamon rolls for lunch, of course.
