ChRiStMaS 2013

I love Christmas time, I love the sounds the smells, I love how giving and loving people are.  I love the spirit of Christ that surrounds peoples hearts and homes.  This year I did my best to really get it through my kids heads that Christmas isn't really all about gifts and presents and toys.  I feel like they are getting old enough to understand the true meaning of the holiday.  I was also trying to let them know in a round about way that they probably wouldn't be getting as much this year as they have in years past.  

I rememeber the anticipation of Christmas when I was a kid, all the excitment and wonder....Christmas Eve I finally put some gifts under the tree, my kids had to inspect each one and see who it was for, they were SOOO excited!  Roy came home early and we went to check on our horses up behind Steinaker.  Then we came home and cooked up some fish for dinner that the boys had caught ice fishing in Pelican a few days before.  We drank sparkling cider out of 'fancy' glasses and ate by candlelight.  The kids were dying to open their Christmas eve PJ's, so immediatly after dinner we did just that.  They loved them!  Then we settled down to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  It was on TV so between commercials we checked the Norad Santa tracker to see where Santa had been and where he was going next.  Paislee was laying on the floor playing and the next thing I knew she was up on her hands and feet, arched in the air!  I can't believe how big my baby is getting!  I wanted to rush over and knock her down, I'm not ready for her to crawl yet!  

Around 9 the kids were begging to go to bed, so we brushed our teeth and tucked them up.  I thought it would take a while for them to fall asleep, especially Stet, but they are crashed hard.  They were wore out!  

Christmas morning dawned bright and early, I was up feeding Paislee at about 6:45 when I heard some snickering and excited squeals...So I Told Roy it was time!  We woke Kadence up and told the boys they could come down.  They explored what was left on the couch and their stockings.  Kyson got a remote control tractor, Stet got a pump truck/toy hauler, Kadence got barbies/barbie tent, and Pais got a doll, clothes, and some toys.  Their stockings had toothbrushes, toothpaste, walkie talkies, bracelets, oranges, and hand santizer.  Stet, Kys, and sissy all got little android tablets-they were THRILLED!  Stet got a new BB gun with a scope, he couldn't wait to go out shooting!  They all got mittens and hats and a few other little things.