Christmas Day!

Christmas, Christmas time is here!  Time for joy and time for cheer!

     I am really thankful that my kids don't get up crazy early anymore.  It was a reasonable 7:30 when we heard them up and about.  They went straight for the stockings (which we remembered this year) and probably could have spent quite a long time just with that loot.
     I must say that I am really so proud of my girls and how un-selfish and un-materialistic they have shown themselves to be over the past few months.  It really was hard to get them to make lists with very many things on them, and they have consistently thought of others each time the talk of gifts has come up.  And Gwyn even made a point to ask if we could make sure we read the Christmas story before we started opening gifts.  Amen sister!

     When we did get around to the gifts, we decided to open one at a time, both to fully appreciate the gifts, but also to make it take longer.  It always goes by so fast when the wrapping paper starts flying!

     Everyone got some things that they really liked, both expected and not!  Jason got the game, Dixit which we all sat down to play.  This is a cross between the Game of Things and Apples to Apples, which makes a sure recipe for silliness!

     I always try to have one total surprise gift for the girls.  This year they were all super perplexed by the really heavy box that was labeled for all three of them.  They were so excited when they opened it and found a slack line!  So naturally we all had to get dressed and go try it out!

     Celee also got the game, Exploding Kittens.  We seem to be a board game playing family and our repertoire just keeps getting larger and stranger!

     We were so happy to get to see Barbara and Bill, who came over for lunch with us.  These three sisters aren't together as often as I remember when I was growing up.  And it's even less frequent for us to be there too.  I love my family and I am so happy to get to spend even this small amount of time with them all!

     It was a very happy Christmas Day.  I feel like it was a good mix of celebrating Jesus, family, and gift-giving.  We even sang him Happy Birthday at lunch with candles that we all blew out.  I am so thankful for so many people to love, and so many adventures to have with them.  God has so richly blessed me more than I deserve.  I'm happy that we can get together to celebrate God's love and the people he's given us to love as well.