Christmas 2009

My favorite time of Christmas is after the children have gone to bed on Christmas Eve. The house is quiet, the lights are glowing, and everything is at peace. Matthew told me he wasn't going to sleep, because he wanted to hear the reindeer bells on Santa's sleigh. It took a long, long time before the bedroom upstairs was silent and two little boys were fast asleep.

First thing in the morning, the distinctive squeak of the baby gate let us know that Matthew was awake. He trotted downstairs, and before I could open my eyes, he was at the side of the bed. Nose pressed against mine, he whispered, "Mommy, Santa comed!"



We quickly got down to the business of opening presents



After opening presents and having our traditional breakfast of french toast and orange juice, the boys tried out a new racetrack and played with some of their toys.



I decided to take a picture of the boys' preschool artwork for the season and of our Christmas cards.

Christmas cards and preschool art.

We were very lucky to have the boys' grandparents here for Christmas, which made the day all the more fun.


We wrapped up the day with a dinner of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes- replete with Christmas crackers, of course! No Christmas dinner is complete without silly paper hats, bad jokes, and little toys.

The Christmas decorations are now put away, and we are getting out the "winter" decorations to replace all the nativities and advent calendars. January, here we come!