In an effort to wear out the kids, Christmas eve was a busy day. We took a walk throughout our neighborhood taking jam to a bunch of our friends. I kept the kids up and didn’t put them down for a nap so that when bed time rolled around they would be so tired that they would fall asleep quickly. So we spent the afternoon watching “Yours, Mine & Ours” and making cookie cutter cookies (I think we need a better rolled cookie recipe).
Kyle had to work the second job on Christmas eve so we let the kids open their jammie presents before he headed off to work, and they all wanted to wear them right then. 🙂
After dinner we set out the stockings and went to bed, and since they didn’t have naps they were all asleep by 8:30. 😀 8:30 felt WAY to early to be playing “Santa” so I spent some time cleaning the kitchen, unloading the dishwasher and such. I set out the cookies and treats for Santa (since Ethan was insisting this year that we had to leave treats for Santa). I forgot to put out the milk before taking the picture though.
I finished up with the few presents I had left to wrap and got started filling stockings. Then I heard something down the hall, so I went to check on the kids and Ethan was awake! So I had to stop playing Santa, and direct him back to his bed then I sat up to read a bit till he fell back asleep. Kyle got home, and Ethan was STILL not sleeping. So Kyle walked Chewy and I kept reading and Ethan still laid there awake. After reading several chapters of my book Ethan was finally snoring again, so I finished filling the stockings. Then Kyle said that he still had some stuff for me to wrap. So I went down the hall to read some more while he did that. About an hour later he was finally finished and we went to bed. But I still had unfinished business in the living room. 😉 I laid in bed waiting for Kyle to fall asleep. About 10-15 minutes later he was snoring and I snuck out of bed and downstairs to where his present, a bicycle, was hiding. Then I proceeded to lift it up over the mess down there and then I had to carry it up the stairs. Then I got to the top of the stairs, and was wondering how in the heck am I going to open this door without dropping this bike back down the stairs. Ya, so that was difficult but I did finally get the door open (and I almost fell only once) I walked the bike into the living room, propped it up, and went back to bed. By then it was about 2:30 in the morning. Just a few minutes after I laid back down I saw Ethan’s shadow on the wall. ARGH! He went out to the living room, and I followed to get him back to his room. He said he just wanted to see the lights. But I sent him back to bed, and I went back to bed. THEN a few minutes after that Jeremy was awake and walking around! So I got up again to send him back to bed.
Around 5:30 I woke up again to hear Tyra and Jeremy in the living room. Tyra was inspecting the contents of her stocking and when she saw me she said “LOOK what I got Mommy!” I grabbed whatever it was and the stocking from her and sent her back to bed, telling her that she KNOWS she’s not to come out on Christmas morning unless everyone is awake. From then on I had to lay on the hall floor to keep the kids out of the living room (I had to sleep on the floor in the hall last year too). It was a REALLY long night…..
Before 8 in the morning most of the kids were awake, with me to keep them out of the living room. Kyle, Dinah and Chloe were still sleeping. So we waited for them, which wasn’t long because the others were so excited that they weren’t very quiet. I got the video camera and we turned them loose. Dinah thought Kyle’s bike was for her. That was really funny because it’s huge compared to her. So they all got to see what they got in their stockings, while I preheated the oven and got breakfast started.
AFTER breakfast we opened presents.
I did a lousy job of taking pictures again. Kyle was doing video, while I passed out the presents, and kept the kids from hurting each other, and tried to keep the wrapping paper all picked up as we went. We got to the last present and I had intentionally saved this one for last so that there would be excitement throughout the entire unwrapping time, but I made sure to get the camera back out for this one.
Jeremy got a slinky dog:
Of course the video camera got his more excited face. But he is SO cute and he is so excited about his slinky dog. He also got Buzz and some new underwear and a truck with trailer and Ramone with a Christmas paint job.
Ethan got a set of dinosaurs in a bucket and it had some trees and rocks so he can make a little scene. And he got a transformer some new shirts and pants and a Bumblespud transformer potato head.
Tyra got some lip gloss from Santa, and she got a mermaid barbie (I LOVE the mermaid barbies because you don’t have to change their clothes.) And she got another barbie and a Belle dress-up set.
Dinah got a stuffed dog, and a couple other stuffed animals (she loves her fluffies) and she got a little toy phone that she can push buttons on and it makes sounds.
Chloe got a baby doll (but Grandpa said that Dinah can play with it since Dinah’s the one that picked it at the store) 😉 and she got a new hat with matching mittens.
The kids each got a book too.
I got Kyle a bicycle, he’s been looking at this same bike since before his birthday, so I decided to just buy it already. I also got him “The Barefoot Executive”, “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” and “The Strongest Man in the World” (all old Disney movies that he has mentioned to me in the past).
Kyle got me a giant tub of cookie cutters, a cookie dough scoop, a butter boy (Jeremy thought that was for him), and a pineapple slinky maker.
Kyle and I got a meat grinder and slicer attachment for my new kitchen aid from my family. I’m SO excited to get some cool stuff this year. 🙂
Debby and Jeff came over for dinner which was just turkey leftovers since I had done a big Turkey dinner on Wednesday. But it was so yummy.