Our Christmas

I'm just now getting around to doing this but better late than never, right :-). It is Sunday night and the kids go back to school tomorrow. I don't know if I am sad because I will miss them or happy because I need some alone time. Jose' also goes back to work tomorrow. Landon has been saying he doesn't want to go back but while taking a bath tonight he said he misses his friends and could he go to school tomorrow. Kinley has been sad and watching the clock all day. Stephen left this afternoon to go back to college.

We had a very very nice Christmas and I had all my family home for two weeks. We've gotten use to staying up very late and sleeping late the next morning. It will be hard to get up at our normal time in the morning. Christmas eve we did the same thing we do every year. First we go to my dad's house around 5:00 and stay until around 8:00. There were 21 of us there. My niece, Jessica, drew my name and got me some pajamas and houseshoes from Victoria's Secret. They kids got too much to list between the four of them. It's so chaotic during present opening that I sometimes don't even know everything they got until we get home.

My dad and Kaylyn

Daddy and Lynn with all the grandkids.

I think it's time for Kinley to stop standing in front of her Daddy for pictures LOL.

After we left my Dad's we went to the in-law's house. We try to save room so we can eat again there. My MIL makes turkey tamales every Christmas eve. My contribution is always a vegetable tray w/dip. Most of the family was there but we were missing a couple. One BIL didn't come and one niece was with her Dad this year. My MIL got me a very nice Thomas Kincaid snowman. He's glass and the front of his belly is open and you can see a village in there with lights on in all the windows. Then there is a little train that goes around and around the base. It all sets on a wooden base. I was so surprised!! She usually doesn't know what to get me and will sometimes even just give me money. It made me feel good that she chose something that nice for me. My SIL got me a picture frame. We stayed there until around 10:30.

Me and my father in law.

When we got home we let the kids play a little while with their new toys. Then they got ready for bed, set our their gifts in separate piles and Kinley put out the milk and cookies and a letter she wrote to Santa. The letter says...Thank you elves for making all the toys for all the boys and girls. Thank you Mrs. Claus for making Santa Clause so round and plump. Most of all thank you Santa for delivering presents to all the boys and girls. I hope I am on the Nice list.

The kids all went to sleep very fast and it felt so good to finally get in bed that night. My favorite part of Christmas is going to bed on Christmas eve excited about the next morning and listening to Christmas music until I fall asleep. I'm just so happy at that moment!!

The kids didn't wake us up until 7:00 the next morning. Like always the kids waited in the hall until everyone was ready and then I opened the door. Landon had been practicing running down the hall LOL...he was ready. We spent the next hour seeing what we got and opening our gifts. We take turns opening one at a time so we could enjoy each one. I had a very nice Christmas! Stephen got me an IBook, Jose' got me a personal DVD player, house shoes, Victoria Secret panties, a goodie bag of things he knows I like and earphones for my dvd player. We helped Stephen get a Mac laptop and we got him Doc Martin boots, a Fossil watch and jacket. Kaylyn got a pink Dell laptop, down comforter and sheets, cross necklace, hair straightner and blow dryer. Kinley got American Girl twin dolls with a stroller, a chalk and marker board easel, disco light for her room, art supplies, Crayola magic light, Pictureka game and a footprints ring. Landon got a Wii with three games, guitar, Crayola magic light, dancing reindeer and a Trouble game. There were other small things but this was most of it. Jose' had a good Christmas too. I got him a cross necklace, pajamas, a Snapfish calendar I made and Stephen got him a surround sound system for the living room.

Kinley with her new babies, Emma and Andrew. I had more pictures from that morning to share but for some reason it's not wanting to add certain ones.

After we did gifts we ate Grands cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then Jose' and I started cooking lunch. He fried the turkey and made dressing and I made a brocoli rice and cheese casserole, homemade mac and cheese and bread in the bread machine. We didn't eat until around 2:30 because we ate such a late breakfast. We watched Elf while we ate and then just played the rest of the day. When it got dark we did our stockings. We started that tradition a few years ago. It gives us something to look forward to all day :-).

So, that was our Christmas. It was over too fast and as always that night I was sad. It's just such GOOD family time.