Merry Christmas!

"Let me at 'em Daddy, Let me at 'em!"

This bus was as much as a gift for me as it was for them. They tend to fight over the one that we have so now there are two!

Christmas has been wonderful so far. I am really enjoying it all through Alex and Eli's eyes. Right now they are supposed to be napping but after all the fun these past few days they are just screaming and laughing with one another (very funny to listen to). Last night we spent time with Jared's family at Nana and Papa's house. We had a great time and I laughed a lot which is always fun. The boys loved their presents and were very spoiled! They walked away last night with lots of new toys and bellies full of yummy Christmas goodies.

This morning we had a mellow morning at home just Jared, me and the boys. We had a nice breakfast. I even broke out the china which looked "charming" with the plastic sippy cups and bowls. The boys enjoyed their egg casserole but they devoured the cinnamon rolls. Yes, plural. Unfortunately, they LOVE baked goods but we rarely let them have them so it was extra special. Eli kept saying "mmm, mmmm". After breakfast we set the boys free in the living room where their gifts were set up and their dinosaurs were perched (do they perch?) on top of the presents. (Last night as we set this up I became so very aware that I am in a house full of boys!)

The boys enjoyed opening their gifts from us and as we suspected we could have just gotten them the dollar store gifts. This Christmas we hit the dollar section of Target and picked up some dinosaurs and books and those are what they played with until we finally encouraged them to open something else. They also love their Little People Farm and their Tonka Trucks. Unfortunately, the trucks are very loud. In the store I did notice that it said that they "rumble" well this noise is nothing like a rumble I have ever heard and of course times that by 2 and Jared and I had to laugh at our "oversight". Eli literally, oohed and wohed as he opened his gifts and Alex enjoyed the ripping part. One of them would be a little faster at opening and the other one would go over to that particular toy and play with it since it was more accessible. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Tomorrow, I will have Christmas with my sisters and I am looking forward to talking with them. Although with 8 children at our feet we may not do a whole lot of talking. Regardless, it will be nice to be in the same room with them. :) I am sure we will laugh hard and eat lots. My sisters and I usually hit a point in the evening where our husbands will state "uh-oh, here we go". This means that my sisters and I have gotten a little sleepy with all that good food in our bellies and we get slap happy. Everything is hilarious to us at this point. EVERYTHING! Uh, I love it!

God has blessed our family this year as he always does and we are so grateful for this day in which we celebrate Jesus' birth. I woke way too early this morning (I think I was excited) and had a chance to read the story of Christ's birth. It is so amazing that he came so humbly for each of us. Every year the story of Christmas seems to become more real to me. I am so thankful for God's gift of his Son, Jesus!