December Daily: Day Twenty-Five

DD started wandering around by around 4AM. She apparently climbed into bed with my SIL who has been sleeping in DD's bottom bunk bed. My poor SIL was a good sport when DD started chatting with her at 4AM, too. DH told me this later. I was still snoozing. ;)

The night before, I had told the kids to get their baby brother out of his crib the following morning when he fussed, and they did. They were all in the boys' room. They also gave him his stocking, which DH had put at the foot of his bed, and let him play with the contents. He got a couple of handheld toys where he could press a button and the top which had lights would spin and it looked like a lighted sphere. He also got a maraca (from the Target $1 spot). When I saw him he had one of the lighted toys in one hand and a maraca in the other. It was like he didn't know which one to play with next. :)

The rest of them were happily playing with excited voices. DS#1 said that it was a "national disaster" to be up that early in the morning. This was around 6AM, I think, when I went into their room. I told them they could go watch TV and they all went downstairsDH made me get up at around 7:45AM, when my SIL got up. Of course she had been staying in bed until I got up and vice versa, but my DD got her to get up first. :)

I came downstairs and the kids started sorting all the gifts. I told them that maybe they should stop sorting and then maybe the gift opening would last a little longer! Then I told them that I wanted a photo of them in front of the tree BEFORE I would let them open presents! I wasn't originally planning to be in the photo, but DS#3 wasn't going to sit there without me. Oh well! I hate how I look in this photo, but I love the photo because all of us look so happy. DS#3 started doing his cheesy grin and all of us started laughing. DH took the photo--what a great job!

By 9AM, Grandma was saying that it seemed so early but everything was done and the kids were all off playing with their new toys. The rest of the day was a pretty relaxed one. Grandma and my SIL went with the 3 kids to see "Marley and Me" at the theatre. DH let me have some scrap time when it was nap time, and I was able to get the pages done for the 24th and the 25th.

It was nice to be able to sit with the whole family at our formal dining room table. We really don't get to use this beautiful table enough. DH had to put a couple of leaves in and it was perfect for us, with DS#3 sitting in his high chair.

After dinner, I fried the rest of the jalapeno cheesecake that my friend KT left for me. My SIL had never had it before and she really enjoyed it. We had gotten some holiday crackers from my in-laws, the kind that crack when you pull them apart. Paper crowns were one of the prizes inside. DS#3 actually let me put one on his head, so we took a family photo to commemorate this event.

I hope everything had a fun and relaxing Christmas!