Christmas

So Christmas was totally awesome. I'd been fighting all year with my inner Scrooge. I just couldn't get the feel for Christmas like I was hoping for. And I fought this right up to Christmas morning. I made it through cookie making, ginger bread house assembly, present wraping and exchanges and still...nothing. However, the looks on my kids faces, the gratitude and good spirit they each have and being in the company of my amazing husband filled my heart. I know it's not about the gifts, but how can you deny the impact that your children have when they go into a full body convulsion as they open THE gift. I think James and Megyn actually physcially danced a jig. Mark is more relaxed with the gift opening process. He was without a doubt very excited and grinned like you wouldn't believe, but he was more in shock that Santa was IN our house and he didn't know it. He kept saying "he left this for me and I didn't even hear him" He really hasn't quite figured out WHY Santa leaves him presents either. It's absolutely the best. Abby was really kind of unsure of the whole thing, but once she figured it out it was hard to keep her from opening ALL of the presents! Santa was pretty good to us all. He left us a Wii and some cool games. Joe is an awesome gift giver too. He was supposed to go to work that afternoon for 2nd shift but surprised me with a box that had a card in it that read "Stay Home Card" with specifics about him staying home that day to spend Christmas with us. It was great! Mad love to his co-worker Deb for covering for him! I also got some other nifty gifts. I think Joe made out pretty well too. We were able to make our rounds with most of our family before Christmas Day and my mom came to visit us ON Christmas which was really cool. And now the pictures...the tree is usually a little more evenly decorated, but I was quickly reminded that all breakable ornaments should be higher than Abby's reach so that explains the top half being decorated and the bottom being bare. What else, oh Joe has what I lovingly call Christmas hair, it's awesome and I think it should be noted that he thought he looked 'hot'. And Abby and Mark weren't as excited about the wii games, but I was only able to get 2 pics of all 4 of them together, so Im posting it!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I am looking forward to starting 2009 but until then, be on the lookout for pictures of our sweet and absolutely creative little builder James. He's turning 7!!