Christmas Day

And finally, THE day. It seemed a long time coming to this crew. Since it was Sunday, we had to dispense with the morning calisthenics, but we did torture the kids by making them wait while we read through the newspaper headlines and while both Shawn and I showered since we were going to have to be ready to go to church later. They waited somewhat patiently, mostly reading books, I think.

Almost everyone lined up and ready to go.

Peter wasn't really into this whole lining up thing. He was pouting in the corner.

With a bit of persuading, he at least came closer to the group.

Woohoo! This is one of my favorite parts of Christmas, when the kids first walk in and see their presents from Santa. Look at Duffy's face!

I just love seeing everyone's excitement and happiness.

Finally - a webkinz! She had been feeling so left out to be the only one without one.

And Amelia was thrilled to get Gnomeo and Juliet. The only thing that was consistently on her list for months. Unfortunately, she was still not feeling well, and this was the most excitement we saw out of her.

You see the kids different personalities come out in this setting as well. There's Jonas quietly examining and carefully reading about his gifts, while Samantha jumps down and starts tearing into hers.

Peter would have been happy with just this Thomas toy. That's the joy of a toddler - it doesn't take much to impress them.

All the kids got shoulder buddies in different colors.

After sorting through the loot from Santa, and opening one present each, it was time to get ready for church. We considered it our Christmas halftime show. A little spiritual reminder in the midst of the commercialized mayhem. (I have to admit, Christmas on Sunday is not my favorite, other than the spiritual uplift. It was a little tough to pull everyone away from their Christmas fun and get them all dressed and ready to go. However, I absolutely love Christmas Eve on a Sunday. It just makes things seem calmer somehow.)

After church everyone jumped right back into their pajamas and it was time to open presents. (This was our longest Christmas by far - at least as far as amount of time spent opening presents went. And we didn't even have to resort to opening presents with our toes to stretch it out, like last year.)

Samantha had a very Harry Christmas. And she couldn't have been happier about it.

Jonas never asks for much, so impressing him isn't too hard either. (A few ideas from him would be nice and helpful, though.)

All dressed in her Gryffindor gear, complete with wand and glasses - and a shoulder buddy to boot.

Amelia opened presents slowly, after laying down to take breaks in between. Poor kid.

A happy little elf.

Samantha did try a little present opening with her feet just to mix it up a bit.

Peter is at just the right age to begin appreciating Christmas. He was so much fun.

Amelia had a very disappointing Christmas because she was sick. (At least that's what she told anyone who asked her about her Christmas.) And it was lousy for her. Being sick on Christmas is no fun. I never remember anyone in my family growing up, being sick on Christmas, but this is the second time in 5 years that it happened at our house. And unfortunately, this was just the beginning. All the other kids suffered some type of illness in the days after, with Duffy getting it the worst. She spent 5 days throwing up, and lost so much weight she looked like a concentration camp victim. We ended up having to cancel our New Year's Eve Party. But I digress. Back to Christmas Day.

Peter was thrilled with his new bike and has been busy riding it all through the house.

The post present mayhem.

Peter got this glow in the dark race track from my Mom and Dad. It was so fun watching him play with it. He just kept giggling and spinning around in circles trying to watch the cars. He kept us all laughing and entertained.

I love Christmas. But the post Christmas letdown is a little hard to deal with. There's so much build up and so much excitement associated with this one day, and then Poof, like that it's over and there's nothing left to look forward to. We spent the evening watching a movie and eating beignets. (There was no time for them in the morning.) I am looking forward to a little downtime and some quiet, but not really to the Christmas clean-up. I guess it's time to start thinking about those New Year's Resolutions.