SANTA

Getting our picture at the top of the stairs is a Christmas tradition. We probably have 20 years worth of pictures like this one.

Seeing the boys faces as they came into the living room was so fun.

Santa wraps! My Mom insists that Santa gifts be wrapped and I am in complete agreement. Then you can savor everyones face as they unwrap the perfect gift. It makes all the weeks of planning, shopping, and stress worth it.

With a big crowd Santa has to get creative sometimes.

See what I mean about savoring the JOY!

Nice UGGS. Santa has great taste. These should keep Lyn's feet nice and warm for her February Wedding!!!!

For comfort you can not beat a pair of Dansko shoes. Especially when you are on your feet all day like Nicole is. That Santa really knows what he is doing.

Again the Joy.

I wished it and wished it and it came true. A Kindle!

By this point Maleen had no trouble opening gifts.

My Mom loves Christmas as much as the rest of us. She puts a TON of work into making Christmas MAGIC.

Nice UGGS. I could post several more pictures of Rachel with this exact face. She also has a special love of Christmas. I love that she keep the fun of Christmas alive until there were little kids in our family again. We have never had a year when we slept in past 6:30 AM.

You may be wondering why the nervous smile from a kid who finally got the gift he has been asking for since he was four years old. Well let me just tell you. Marcus has been asking for a DS for several years. I have always told him NO he had to be at least 8 years old. Well this year when he was waiting to sit on the Big Man's lap he nervously told me that he was going to as Santa for a DS and asked if I would be mad. Of course I gave him a hard time by telling him he could ask for whatever he wanted but that I didn't appreciate him going over my head and asking Santa. So when Marcus opened his DSi I think he was a little nervous that I would be mad that he had gone over my head by asking the Big Man Himself and that Santa had delivered.

Sometimes opening all those presents works up an appetite.

Nathan almost wet his pants when he opened The BOSE speakers he has been wanting.

Love my new APPLE. Now if I can just figure out how it all works.

Rachel reliving the "Christmas Miracle." aka when Santa brought her Doddie.

Maleen kept on my Dad's glasses for like 20 minutes.

Have I mentioned that we love Christmas. We love staying over at my Parent's house. Marcus put it best a few weeks before Christmas. I asked him if he was excited for Santa to come to our house. He looked at me with this very serious face and said, "Santa's not coming to our house." I asked him if Santa wasn't coming because he had been bad. He looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind and very patiently explained that Santa doesn't come to our house he comes to Grandma's. I told him that if we spent the night at our house Santa would indeed come to our house. Again with this look like I was completely pathetic he said, "Yah, but that's only four people (with his four fingers in front of me just incase I couldn't under stand what he was saying with my feeble mind) and that's boring." And I must say I have to agree with him. Christmas would be BORING without a crowd.