Christmas at Home

(Part 1 of the Christmas debriefing)

After going to the Christmas Eve service at church, and eating homemade pizza at Grandma and Gichan’s house, Ane took a look at the Santa Tracker on the NORAD website and started to freak out about getting home before Santa got there.  We had to be PREPARED.

So, once we got home, we immediately got our pajamas on, and brought forth our offerings for Santa.  As we told Ane (who thought leaving him coffee so he would be able to stay up all night would be a good idea), Santa needs the carbs from the cookies, and milk would stay cold for him.

Once the cookies were in place…

… we let the kids open up one present.  This year, it was a box that had come from their cousins in Idaho.

It turned out to be some much-desired Pillow Pets!  (Desired by Ane, at any rate – she’s the only one paying attention to the ads.)

After some consideration, because cousin Lolo told us to choose who got what, it was decided that Tad would take the dolphin, Rerun would get the puppy, and Ane would have the panda.  And there was much rejoicing.  The Pillow Pets went to bed with the older two, and came back out with them on Christmas morning.

This was the first year that we haven’t had to wake the kids up on Christmas morning – they woke us up right before 8 am.  Rerun was the only one still sleeping, and I nursed him before we let the kids go into the living room to see if Santa had come.  And he had.

Rerun was enjoying all the hoopla of his first Christmas.

His siblings were setting an eager example on how to rip paper, but all Rerun could think about was how to get that paper in his mouth.

While Rerun continued his quest to eat paper, Ane and Tad were enjoying their Christmas loot – from Santa, Mom and Dad, and their siblings.

Tad got new Star Wars bedsheets (Ane received Tiana ones) from Mom and Dad.

The shark fleece hat and mittens were a gift from Ane and Rerun to Tad.  Ane got a book from each of her brothers, and Rerun got Little Pookie board books from his big sister and big brother.

Their gifts from Uncle Oddball, Auntie Ressis, Little Cousin and Cowgirl (formerly known as Baby Cousin) were also a huge hit.

Hm.  I think they have each kid pegged.

Then we got into the BIG stuff under the tree.  Ane hit the jackpot with the very thing that was at the top of her wish list.

If you can’t tell from the box, that is an American Girl doll.  Ane had long ago decided that she wanted the “Just Like You” doll with brown hair and blue eyes, like her.

After some consideration on her part, and thanks to the literary influences of C.S. Lewis, Ane has named her new doll Susan.  I got off easy, considering all the fun and interesting names I gave my dolls and stuffed animals when I was Ane’s age.  Just ask Grandma.

Tad received a really great gift  that I’m sure Uncle Oddball would love.

This is otherwise known as “part of next year’s Halloween costume.”  If I’m lucky.  The helmet has a voice changer and several phrases.  He loves it.  He REALLY loves it.

Rerun got something fun that he can make noise with.

This is the perfect kind of noisy toy – the non-battery powered kind.

But what he really wanted was all around him, and he finally sunk his teeth into it.

We opened everything in record time, but it was hard to pull the kids away from all their new toys and convince them to get dressed for Grandma and Gichan’s house.  Only the lure of more presents could get them moving.  They’re kids, after all.  So we set up the camera for our annual Christmas morning picture…

… and headed off to Grandma and Gichan’s house, for more presents and lots and lots of food.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 at 11:52 pm and is filed under Children, Holidays.
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