Christmas Day Recap

Christmas morning we were lucky enough to have kids sleep in until 8am. That was a gift all in itself! And since our tree and stockings were in the basement, the kids didn't realize Santa came until we brought it to their attention. Instead of rushing into present mode, we made muffins, ate breakfast as a family, and then casually suggested we head downstairs to see if Santa stopped by. It was nearly 9am before we headed downstairs. I don't know if we'll get to linger that long next year, but it was a lovely start to our Christmas morning.

Brooke looking a bit tentative on her way down. Something about a strange fat man sneaking into our house had her worried.

Ty quickly decided it was more satisfying to shake everything out of his stocking as opposed to patiently take things out one by one.

Brooke loving on her new doll, Charlotte, in her beautiful baby cradle.

Ty's prized gift from Santa, a nerf gun. Oddly enough, Santa brought one for Trent too. This was especially surprising since Santa and Mrs. Claus shopped together and only one gun was purchased initially. Evidently it was an oversight remedied by Santa so that father and son could play together.

Two peas in a pod.

Brooke enjoying her Mrs. Potato head.

Trent asked for a handgun. A BB gun is practically the same, right?

My favorite surprise gift - a bike for Trent. He hasn't been able to go on family bike rides and frankly, I wanted him to be able to take the kids without me occasionally. A gift that benefits both of us in my opinion.

We had promised to keep things simple and succeeded with the kids. But we both broke the rules and got each other a fun surprise gift. He surprised me with a treadmill. He was too cute with the presentation - he made a trail of items like water bottles, a workout towel, the start up key, etc... all leading me downstairs to the treadmill. I heart my treadmill. I heart my man.

The big surprise for the kids was Missy. She is half lab, half boxer. She is beautiful. The family that gave her to us raised her to be an outdoor only dog, thank goodness for me. The kids adore her and they wear each other out every afternoon. I didn't grow up with dogs so this has been an adjustment for me, but everyone loves her and she is a pretty good dog.

Overall, this Christmas seemed different than years past - mostly in a good way. We didn't get as many cards, didn't attend as many parties, and didn't overschedule ourselves. That's not to say that we didn't have a wonderful Christmas season, but I've come to the realization that a simple approach to the holiday season was enough for us. We spent time with family who wanted to be social, spent a lot of time with each other at home and tried to make the most of our time together. Lots of love, lots of laughter, lots of wonderful memories.