Christmas Morning

We have had one of our best Christmas' yet! It's hard to believe the weekend is over. It's a good thing I am off all week...it's going to take me that long to organize all the toys and get my house back in order. I tried to tackle a little today and I was overwhelmed. It was so nice to have Damian off work today to continue our weekend of fun. We did a little shopping,(and got the BEST deal on shoes for the kids at Stride Rite!!) played with new toys ALL DAY (I put together Polly Pocket and Legos for hours), and relaxed a lot. I almost forgot it was Monday! I just hope this week goes by very slowly and I can get everything done. We have a playdate at the park, ice skating, a bonfire/cookout with friends, and a trip to Kissimmee to see my family all planned for this week. Let the holiday fun continue!!

Here are just a few of the almost 300 pics from Christmas morning. There are more to come from our evening with the Hillens and afternoon with the Robbins.

Since Max and Emma have been so good this year, Santa was extra generous.

Emma received a guitar, a telescope and microscope, Razor scooter, and some fun stocking stuffers(DS games, Taylor Swift cd, Justice scarf, earrings, chocolate, new toothbrush, notebook, Wii game). Max loved his blast crashers race track, legos, scooter, and fun stocking stuffers too(lego hero factory, Wii game, battleship game, toothbrush, angry birds gummies,cars notebook, power ranger samurai). (the stocking stuffers are my favorite part--I definitely get that from my parents!!)

After they played with their new toys from Santa, they opened their gifts from us. There was a lot of smiling, screeching, and laughing all at 6 a.m.!!

Here are a few things that I better write down so I don't forget:

Emma kept explaining everything to Max and they were just so excited. It was so sweet. I loved hearing their conversation all morning. Every time they would open a gift they would hug us and say thank you so much! So sweet!

I ended up waking the kids up at 5:45am. I wanted them to be able to enjoy Christmas and not be rushed before church at 9 am and then leaving for my parents. I have never seen them hop out of bed so fast. Max was practically walking in circles upstairs! I remember the excitement I always felt as a kid when I would wake up and see all that Santa left for us...it is the best feeling to witness all of that again through my children.

The absolute best thing that happened on Christmas morning was when Max, during gift opening, knelt down, lifted his head high and shouted "Happy Birthday, Jesus". He did this out of nowhere and my heart melted. He remembered what this day was all about!! Damian and I couldn't help but smile and know that we must be doing something right. I have had some very serious discussions with Emma lately about Jesus and what we believe as Catholics. She has asked some tough questions and it makes me so proud to be her mom and teach her about our faith. Also, to hear them sing with all their hearts at church and ask to sit in the front pew...again makes me so proud! Not only do they sit quietly they participate in mass.

Christmas morning with my family of four was so very special to me. I am so blessed to have such an amazing hubby and absolutely amazing kids too! There is more fun to come with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins...oh my!!