It Was a Holly Jolly Christmas!

It was 5:40 in the morning and Santa had come.  Our stockings were full of goodies and the presents were wrapped in special "Ho Ho Ho" paper... 

Santa polished off the Christmas cookies and milk.  And the reindeer had obviously gotten to the carrots.

The advent calender was complete.

The pots and pans were out for our musical parade.

All that was missing were the kids.  Then...

Creeping down the stairs at six in the morning never felt so good.

It didn't take long to rip through our stockings.

Then we paraded around the house singing Jingle Bells while banging on pots and pans. (It's tradition.)  Irelynn just looked at us like we were crazy.

The kids were thrilled to find pillow pets under the tree. Irelynn got a purple unicorn, Branson got a blue dolphin, and Natalya got a brown puppy. They sleep with them every night - and cuddle with them on the couch whenever we watch a movie together.

Irelynn was elated to open My Little Ponies from her uncles.

Branson's expression says it all! Transformers are so cool - he got Bumblebee and Soundwave.

Natalya had a very Barbie Christmas and she couldn't be happier! (And I remember getting the Barbie Corvette when I was little.)

It's so fun getting a new kitchen appliance!

I got my dad a chocolate fish that said, "We Wish You a Merry Fishmas!" And he got a kick out of it, too.

Brian asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him that any kind of jewelry would be so special to me this year. Well he spoiled me with the most beautiful green amethyst bracelet. He knows that green is my favorite color and he likes that it matches my eyes. Brian is so thoughtful. As if that weren't enough, I opened another box and found the matching amethyst ring that he bought for me two years ago. The stone was loose so it hadn't been worn for ages. He got it repaired so that I could wear them together! Thank you, Sweetheart.

Dinner was great. And it tasted even better knowing that everyone pitched in. Our kitchen was constantly filled with people and laughter. Antonio was my right-hand-man. I was so grateful for everyone's willingness to help.

We shared Christmas with our dear friend Jennifer and her son Ethan. We were so glad they joined us.

We ended a wonderful Christmas with "airplane" and three laughing kids.  They were so spoiled with attention - I'm certain they enjoyed the attention from their family members far more than any gifts they received.  All three kids cried when it was time for Spencer, Antonio and Ellen to go home. 

We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.