It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

We had the best Christmas!  Christmas Eve was wonderful, and Christmas Day was just as good. Although we didn't get to see as many people as we would have liked to see,  it just felt perfect!

I found myself wondering at times if it could get any better than this?

Our Christmas morning began shortly after 9 AM.  We heard Lily wake up and go into the living room. Seconds later, we heard her racing down the hall toward our bedroom, yelling,  "Mommy!  Daddy!  Santa came to our house!  There are pesents!  Lots and lots of pesents!" It was the best wake up ever!

We woke up Dylan, Lexie, and Liam, and we all gathered in the living room. Everyone was so excited!





Of course they spotted their big (unwrapped) gifts first!




Unwrapping presents in our house is surprisingly calm and organized.  We developed a good system years ago, and it works well for us!  The kids open one gift each from the oldest child to the youngest child and keep doing that until all the gifts are unwrapped.  They truly enjoy seeing what their siblings get, and have time to appreciate each gift!


























The kids were thrilled with everything they received, but I swear, they get even more excited about giving gifts!  Dylan and Lexie buy for Grant, their siblings, and I at their holiday store at school.  I help Lily and Liam choose gifts for each of their siblings.  After they open gifts from Santa, they immediately jump up to exchange gifts with each other!







After our gift exchange, Grant and I open one toy for each kid, and let them play so we can exchange gifts with each other.  We're surrounded by kids, but we love exchanging gifts with each other!

Finally, we give the kids their stockings.  This year, my dad showed up a few minutes early for breakfast (my mom had to work), and he loved watching them exclaim with joy over each item in their stockings!







This year was the first year we didn't rush off to Grant's mom's house to open gifts with his family.  We were bummed at first, but it ended up working out really well!  We were able to open and assemble some gifts for the kids, with my dad's help, and we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast together with my dad.  We really hope my mom and Grant's mom can join us next year!

My dad left after breakfast to pick up my mom, and they returned about an hour later so we could exchange gifts.  We sipped coffee and hot tea and didn't have to rush through our gift exchange.  It was really nice!










My kids are so lucky to have incredible grandparents in their lives!  We are all lucky to have each other.  I love the fact that we still have our own little gift exchange.

My parents headed 1 mile down the road to my sister's house, and we soon joined them for dinner.  We had a very quiet (that's rare in my huge family!), but very nice dinner with my sister, Sharilyn, and her family, and my parents.  My nephew, Kelvin, was home from Florida and I hadn't seen him in over 18 months.  Unfortunately, he was returning from another dinner just as we had to leave.  We were bummed we didn't get to see him, but we did get to see him a few days later!






We finished out our Christmas at Grant's mom's house.  Grant's brother and his family, Grant's Nannie, and Grant's Uncle Scott joined us. This was our first time doing this, and we decided we loved it!




We were unable to visit Grant's maternal Grandma, but she sent her gifts for the kids home with Grant's mom!  They loved them!



They loved their gifts from Grant's mom, too! 



During our visit, Liam woke up to play and Lily took a nap in her Grandma's arms.  We all talked, snacked on cookies, and enjoyed the evening!







We had so much fun that we decided we needed to keep this tradition next year.  Christmas usually feels over right after dinner, but this extended the festivities a few more hours!

Once we got home, we let the kids play with their new toys for a little bit before sending them to bed.  Grant and I stayed up late to watch "It's a Wonderful Life." It was the perfect end to a perfect day!