Christmas

I am the biggest blog slacker lately. Christmas just put me over the edge this year and it was all I could do to get through my normal stuff. And no, I haven't read any blogs for awhile either. I promise to catch up soon.

We did have a really good Christmas though. Christmas Eve we ended up just hanging out at our house with the fam, which was a nice, quiet change. We usually spend Christmas Eve with Marcos' family, but his mom had to work so we took advantage of no plans and kept it simple. That day, Anthony and David came over and we exchanged gifts. Anthony got the kids plasma cars (wiggle skate cars) and they were thrilled. Dylan picked out a gorilla for Anthony that goes with the wholly mammoth he has and I made a movie for David about our year with Anthony. That night, we got a take 'n bake pizza, watched a Disney Christmas movie together and then read a few stories about the birth of Christ. We had the kids in bed by 8:30 and I was finished with Christmas and in bed by 9:30. And it's a good thing too since I had the world's most excited child who could not sleep at all most of the night. At 1:30, Dylan came in to tell me he thought he heard hoof prints on the roof. I told him he'd better go back to bed then so he did, but he was back in my room by 2:00 telling me he was sure he had just heard jingle bells outside his window. Again I cautioned him to go back to bed, but he had already looked down the stairs and realized Santa had been here already. I reminded him we weren't opening presents and sent him back to bed again...only to find his eager little face pressed against mine moments later. I caved and decided to let him sleep in our bed. It didn't help though. He talked and asked questions about Christmas and Santa for another hour until I gave up and headed down to the family room to sleep on the couch and let him watch Polar Express. Luckily Santa wraps his gifts since we had to pass the living room on the way.

We opened presents in the morning and Dylan was excited as usual. One of the best things about that kid is his excitement towards life. And then there is Preston who was content to have a mouth full of candy and a ball or light in his hand the whole time. Couldn't have cared less. He was just happy to be alive - as always! Dylan got snow pants, gloves, books, a magna doodle and a nerf gun and got a knight castle from Santa. Preston got socks, gloves, books, a magna doodle and a cash register and got a rocket (from Little Einstein's from Santa). Dylan made me a plate at school, which was my absolute favorite gift. He drew our family on it. It took me a minute to figure out what he had done. He drew Anthony and his stuffed animal dog, Ethan on their too. For a minute, I thought he had the wrong family. :) Just kidding. It was so cute and sweet. He really does think of Anthony as his brother. We ate our little breakfast casserole and then got ready for the day.

We went to lunch at my mom's and it was definitely a crowd. We had 6 of 8 kids there (3 of my mom's and 3 of my step dad's), spouses, kids, and even invited David, Anthony and Leona (Anthony's grandma). It was a delicious meal and great company. Everyone loved their gifts and had a great time. The boys (old and young) headed off for a spontaneous sledding trip, which left the moms and younger kids to chat and play. GREAT! The kids were not prepared with boots or gloves, but at least had coats. They came back pretty frozen but had a great time.

After that, we left the party to head to Laura's house for the party with Marcos' family. Preston took a nap on the way, which was perfect. We had pizza and appetizers for dinner. We watched a Christmas story on TV, opened presents and visited for awhile. The kids had a great time and did not want to leave, even though it was late!

The day after Christmas, we went to my dad & Suzanne's house. We had a good dinner, the kids played, we opened a couple presents and had a good time. The boys even made a bonfire, although it was freezing even bundled up by the fire! What a great Christmas!

For those who care about the details of our Christmas, you can find pictures here.