We began our morning with a quick family picture (above)... so we could capture the moment before there was wrapping paper and candy wrappers everywhere. And then the kids in front of the tree:
Then we launched into the stockings, starting with the youngest. It was pretty hard for the boys to wait while Anndra discovered all her new little treasures... as you can see, Lincoln was eager to help:
Then it was Lincoln's turn - this time it was Parker who was eager to help:
Finally Parker got to open his stocking:
We didn't have stockings for the grown-ups so we used season-themed reusable grocery bags:
In true 1-year-old style, Anndra decided she'd rather play with the tiny boxes our little flashlights came in:
There were so many exciting things to do, look at, and play with that Lincoln just couldn't concentrate on anything else. For example, not being able to tear his eyes away from his new paint set long enough to look at the camera...
...and turning to open one of his presents just as he and Parker were about to high-5:
Anndra got several new dolls, and the cute thing is that she insists on being held while she holds her doll. She walks over to you, sets her doll down next to her so she can reach up to you with both hands, then when you've picked her up or pulled her onto your lap, she reaches down for the doll. I think of it like she wants to be in the middle of a parent-Anndra-doll sandwich:
The last gift was a fun surprise. Even though it was in plain view from all our back windows, the boys never noticed it. Anndra, however, who had been with us when we set it up, kept pointing out at the backyard and crying - hoping to convince someone to take her out to play. After a couple of hours of repeatedly pulling her away from the window and distracting her with something else, we couldn't wait any longer. We told the boys they had to go play outside (it was tough to persuade them!) and the looks on their faces when they saw the trampoline was priceless.
Later, while Anndra was sleeping (which is why her room is showing on the TV), Lincoln used his new legos to build a super-tall tower:
After her nap, Anndra used her new blanket from Grandy to keep her cozy on a walk around the neighborhood.
We ended our very wonderful day with a big dinner (thanks to: the Chinese restaurant down the street for being open, my thoughtful husband for encouraging me NOT to cook, and Debbie for paying for it - I'm so spoiled!).
I think what made it a perfect Christmas was the fact that we spent all month doing things to celebrate the birth of our Savior and rejoicing in this greatest of all gifts from God. And the love we feel for Jesus Christ and the joy we experience because of his life was reflected in this one day of total family togetherness - doing nothing else but showering each other with love and basking in one another's happiness.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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