Christmas

Andrew got up four times the night Santa came to our home. Luckily, Santa sneaked in and out without being spotted. Randall got out of the bed first Christmas morning and checked the status of the living room. Not a creature was seen but Andrew's stocking had definitely been ruffled. I got up and could hear three tiny boy voices behind Peter's door. After a quick shave and a haircut knock, I was given admittance. The boys were given the green light to come out and the excitement began.

We took a lot of pictures of everyone opening gifts. I am dumping them on FB because it's easier, so check there for all the fun details. Santa did a good job this year, though Andrew was certain Mouse Trap was not for him because it was a family game. Thankfully, by the end of the day Andrew was in love with the idea of being the sole owner of a "Rube Goldberg". Blake loves his dragon and Peter feels that Santa knew exactly what he wanted. I'd like to thank Target for our stockings. I don't know what I would have done without the dollar section. So awesome.

G&G McBeth provided new suits for the boys. The boys look so dapper we've given them their own titles. Blake is The Brain. Peter is The Muscle. Andrew is The Money Man. G&G Larsen gave each of the boys some sort of art/craft. My boys do something crafty every day without fail, so it was a huge hit. Their Great G&G McBeth gave yoyo's and a new shirt. Their GGp's AMAZE ME! I'm so grateful for the time and love they put into Christmas every year. It's so special.

Randall and I had lovely after-naps. The boys played and played without fail.

And the food! I love me some food! Bacon, eggs, homemade cinnamon rolls, and egg nog for breakfast. Ham, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and green beans for dinner. Lots of unhealthiness in between.

But the icing on the cake for me was playing Mouse Trap as a family then singing Christmas carols over Skype to my parents.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve did not disappoint. The morning began with a double batch of biscuits and gravy. Randall's brother and his family came over after breakfast. The boys opened presents (mostly gifts with wheels) as the adults chatted. My sister-in-law and myself got each other the Leven Thumps series -thank you Deseret Books. All the kids built gingerbread houses and our kid's roof was so heavy with candy, it toppled over completely. The boys also colored a bit. It was wonderful to spend this time of year with family.
Every Christmas Eve we open one present, which is always new pajamas. This year I decided to take old fleece and flannel that used to be curtains and bedding, and make snuggies and pajama pants. Last minute I thought I'd better go pick up some shirts to match and added patches to the shirts so they'd go together.
The boys were slightly confused when they began to open their gifts. Blake, always excited to open anything, exclaimed, "A blanket!" when looking at the pajama pants. I had to instruct the boys to open it completely so they could understand what they were seeing. They all pulled the pajamas out but didn't unfold them, still just thinking they were some sort of blanket. Once they realized they were pajamas, they were "all aboard!" They turned out so cute, I still can't get over it myself! (*I do need to add a cuff to Peter's pants. I hadn't realized the pj pant I used as a template was too small. But no biggie. Easily fixed.)
Next they opened the snuggies. Again they just thought it was a blanket. Again we instructed them to really look at it. Peter saw the arm holes first, Andrew yelled, "Snuggies!" and Blake yelled, "My cape!"
Eventually we started to chill, watched and fell asleep to Santa Clause 2. After putting the kids to bed I had to wake up again to get started on the rest of the night. Being pregnant, it's not so easy to wake back up. But Randall and I got into the groove of things and got things ready for the next day in a good amount of time.