Christmas Eve Morning

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have started the tradition of celebrating our little family Christmas on Christmas Eve Morning. We get up and have a nice breakfast together and then open gifts from one another. I love it and its a special time!

Can I just say that I love the ages of my kids?! I'm sure i'll be forever saying that, but each year it seems to get more exciting because they understand more and more! Their excitement just makes ME excited!!!

This year, I decided to wrap each persons presents in ONE wrapping paper so we could keep it all straight! The kids helped Jeff to divvy up the gifts before we started opening them!  :-)

Rhyan's stack... Spud did a nice job guarding them :-) And the one extra is from a work buddy...

Rhyan has been obsessed with Moses ever since learning about the plagues in Sunday School. So Jeff had the great idea to get the "Prince of Egypt" movie for her (off amazon). She LOVES That movie!!! love!

Mack had to have a little help opening gifts :-)

Rhyan had just that week seen this "Tangled" backpack and she LOVED it. She's also obsessed just slightly with Rapunzel. SO much so that she wont ever let us put her hair up in a ponytail (and oh my, yes, we are aware that her hair is CRAZY... but we've decided to not pick this as a battle) because Rapunzel wears her hair down. Omg. HAHA! She LOVED this, obviously, and was surprised! She uses it daily around here!

Little Mack, on the other hand, is obsessed with shoes! He wants to wear them as soon as he wakes up till time for bed. NOT my kid... haha... So we thought he'd look adorable in converse! Interestingly enough, though, he pretty much pitches a fit when we go to put ANY shoes on him other than his beloved tennis shoes. So he's never worn these converse. I'm going to exchange them for a bigger size so he can get some use of them once he's over his freak out phase...

This was a picture frame ornament (from hallmark) that my work buddy Sherri give the kids each year...

Rhyan got PINK converse! She wouldnt wear them that day but now she loves them! Kids...

I am constantly having to take my camera away from Rhyan. Hello. Its a $600 camera. NOT a toy. But she LOVES to take pics! Well, last year, I bought her a camera the day after thanksgiving and just put it away for when I thought it would make for a good gift (based on her interest). This Christmas, I KNEW it was perfect timing. And I was right. She LOVES it and uses it, again, daily!

Mack, however, was not and has not been so impressed with this cute teaching turtle that I thought he'd love.
It was his bigger gift from us (the camera was rhyans) so I was sad. But, i'm pretty sure that Rhyan wasnt excited to get things until maybe last year? So I'm trying to not take it personally ;-)

Rhyan wanted a pic of herself and her Daddy wearing their backpacks :-) SO cute!

Time for Jeff to open his gifts!!! Rhyan was ready with her camera to document it all!

"The Resolution for Men" book from the movie "Courageous". He hasnt read it yet (Shocker). The other book I gave him, Mike Huckabey's autobiography he's about halfway finished with. I KNOW that the only books he reads are political, but I really did think he'd like the Resolution. Maybe he'll get into it yet :-)

And I framed his MASTERS degree diploma!

I also got for him some piece of workout equipment that he can add to his total gym. Some ab thing. Yipee.

But he was excited about it, none the less! haha... Such a work out junkie!

Lastly, i stuffed in his stocking two tickets to Midevil Times. He's wanted to go for forever! He liked it!

Me and my babies (sans makeup and way too early, btw...)

Yeah, the above pic was like, take 18. The rest were like this :-) Just keeping it real!

Finally, it was time to open my gifts. I'm just going to go ahead and admit that I had been pretty worried this year. There were NO gifts for me under the tree. And I dont remember giving a list to Jeff... so I figured it was a VERY real possibility that he just didnt get me anything. I dont mean to sound self absorbed or anything. Gifts is NOT my love language, but I do still appreciate them! haha. And in the past, if I havent given Jeff a list, I've not gotten anything. So... when I got handed my stocking, and only my stocking, I thought "oh well... my fault".

HOWEVER... in the stocking was a card. Well, that was no big surprise b/c Jeff gives me a card every year (possibly my most treasured "gift" each year b/c he writes VERY sweet things in there... and seeing as how we are NOT mushy people at all, I treasure every card and every kind word he writes...)
Until I opened it and saw THIS!

And then he handed me a small package and I  opened this beautiful Tanzonite necklace. I was SHOCKED!

He had arranged for my Mom to come stay with the kids for the night so we could have time alone! WOW!
Best gift ever. Hands down. For any Mama! I love my babies. But i love some pampering on occasion, too!

I didnt get a whole family pic :-( But i DID get one with ALL my babies! Rachael C, be proud! Even Spud!
We really enjoyed being able to have time to enjoy giving gifts to one another and had a great morning!

And somehow, I didnt get pics BUT, Rhyan did secret santa shopping again and got Jeff a flashlight (which totally smells like gasoline!?), Mack some books and me a warm blanket! LOVE my blanket! and my girl!