Christmas Recap

What a fun Christmas we had with Grandma and Grandpa, Brad and Jeff. So many special memories and lots of fun!

On the 24th, Grandma and Grandpa called to let us know they'd be checking into their hotel. Because it had a pool, the kids went swimming with Grampa, who promised to wear them out by playing sharks and diving for toys. Grandma reported that all the kids were diving, floating, swimming without plugged noses and basically swam their little hearts out. Everyone met back at our house at about 5:30, where they showered up and begged for food to fill famished tummies.

Dinner was a mix of everyone's favorite easy foods. We had Aunt Bek's Potato Soup with special power-boosting ingredients, shrimp cocktail, sushi, chips and dip, vegetables and dip, gourmet nuts, cheeseball and summer sausages, and other munchies. We ate plenty and then broke out the games. Grandpa struggled with Taboo, (turns out nobody ELSE in the room knew about one of the U.S. Government's oldest symbols). However, he completely dominated Apples to Apples -- GOATS! After games, the children opened up the Christmas Eve present, the predictable--yet always cute--pajamas.

Abigail read her version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" that she wrote, then Jaceson read the real version. Grandma read the story of the Nativity, and then we prepared for bed. The kids set out cookies and milk, with apple slices for the reindeer. They hung the Santa key on the door and piled into bed.

Grandma and Grandpa left for their hotel to sleep in a big, soft bed and we all fell asleep...

Until 2 a.m., when all three children came bounding in claiming that they could see that Santa had been to our house and could we get up now? I ordered everyone back to bed and forbade them to leave their rooms until at least 5:00 a.m.

Stay tuned for Christmas Day festivities, including the hilarious hijinks of the uncles!