Christmas

Finally Christmas came!  Jack almost couldn't stand it (and to be honest I was super excited too since this was our first little family Christmas).  Christmas Eve we had dinner with friends at the Fairbank's home.  Delicious ham and rolls with all the trimmings.  Then we headed home and started the Christmas Eve traditions of decorating cookies and leaving them out for Santa, watching Christmas cartoons, reading about the birth of the Savior and opening jammies.  Once we finally go the kids to bed, we started getting presents ready.  Logan had the wonderful task of putting together Jack's train table which was about a three hour project.  Around 1 a.m. we were finally done and ready to go to bed when Charlotte woke up.  I went in to check on her and she was mad.  This wasn't like her.  We are pretty sure she had an ear infection.  Her crying woke Jack up too.  After trying to get her to calm down for about two hours, she and Jack finally fell back to sleep around 3 a.m.  She was back up at 6 a.m. but I got her to fall back asleep in our tiny bed with us and Jack was up and ready for presents around 9 (thankfully he slept in).  We let Char sleep a little longer so we didn't make it in until about 10 a.m.  We were all pretty sleep deprived and Char was a little under the weather, but we still managed to have a great Christmas.  We opened presents.  Jack was way into it and Char was kind of catching on.  We played with our gifts and relaxed at home.  We talked and Skyped with family and Jack loved telling them about his Christmas.  

A not so great picture of our group at Emily's house after eating dinner.

Emily Fairbank, me, Amanda Weedman, and Stephanie Aud.

Christmas Eve.  The wrapped gifts were already entertainment before they were even opened.  They loved playing with them and making towers out of them.  

Typical older brother taunting.

Decorating cookies for Santa.

Opening jammies, toothbrushes and a stuffed minion.

Reading about baby Jesus.

Getting the gifts ready.  Charlotte's kitty and grocery cart.

I wanted something for the kids to get their energy out during the winter and found a gymnastics wedge like the one Jack used in gymnastics on Craigslist.  I was surprised at what a hit it has been with kids for tumbling, climbing, racing cars and watching TV on.

Jack's train table.  Spoiled little boy.  Char loves it too. 

Stockings.  A tiny one for the baby.

Char catching up on sleep after a long night.

Sleep deprived.

To prevent Jack from running to the front room, we hung up a sheet in the hallway.

His first reaction.

Char testing out her Elmo couch.

I found some girly Disney cars for Char.  She loves to play cars with Jack but likes to play with the cute cars so this was perfect.  She loves bows too.

Opening stockings.  Jack has tried and tried to chew gum but always ends up swallowing it, even if I right beside him to remind him to not.  I finally gave up and told him he couldn't chew gum until he was four.  So on his fourth birthday we tried again (three times) and he swallowed it.  I gave it one more go and gave him bubble gum in his stocking.  He swallowed it.  After he swallowed it he told me he better wait until he was five. 

Logan got golf clubs (to fit in with the lawyers) and a another Simpson season.  I got clothes (of course) and a fancy blu tooth speaker.

And at the end of the day, with many new gifts, the iPad still wins.