Here is the Christmas Tree. With all of Santa’s goodies 
beneath it. I was VERY brave this year. I am usually very choosey about how the tree looks. Most of the decorations happen to be red/white combo or Santas…totally by chance. But I like the ornaments to be spaced and placed “just so,” well, this year, I just “let go” and let the 3 kids go at it. The tree turned out pretty anyway and I got to relax a bit.
After the Kids went to bed, I blogged and Steven soaked until about 12:45am and then we turned in. At 4am SHARP, Sariah came and woke me. “Mama, it’s Christmas! Wake up!” So we crawled out of bed and down the hall to open gifts. I CAN tell you, we will NOT be getting up before the sun next year…ughhhh. My stomach is feeling queasy just thinking about it.
The girls are looking for the pickle ornament on the tree…
Miranda is up to her armpit reaching ACROSS the entire tree trying to get it. Do you think she found it??
Yup! She got it! The prize was a “3D Where’s the stuff in the picture?” kind of book. Very cool. Sariah found the pickle last year.
Here is Sariah opening the original Cheaper by the Dozen
The kids watched it a few times while Steven and I went back to bed for more sleep!
Bubble Gum body wash! The ONLY bubble gum for a few more years. Poor Randa…
Her braces come off in February, but then she’ll still have retainers…until the second phase of braces go on.
At 3, Tallen is old enough this year to get into the festivities. Here he is with the GIANT peppermint stick from his stocking. All three got one. (The favorite stocking goodie of Miranda’s.)
He also got a plane in his stocking.
(By day 5 he had bitten the tail and one of the wings off! and then asked Mama to “fix it”)
New Hoop Earrings.
So grown up.
Sariah got a very pretty sweater to wear with her favorite “skinny jeans”
She also got a “cutter to make a purse out of an old or very cool t-shirt. Neat concept – recycle/upcycle/reuse
Santa brought Miranda a pretty china doll. This will probably be the last year for dolls. She may never make it out of the box, she’s so pretty.
Brown gingham dress, long brown braided hair.
Miranda also got a pretty pair of black dressy shoes. Daddy picked them out and I guess he has pretty good taste in shoes because she adores the shoes.
Tallen’s dearest wish, told to HO-HO while sitting on his lap, was a race car set with cars that you shake up to gather energy to run. Very cool indeed..
Morning came way too early for our Little Man! Note the lack of excitement… 4am is too early for me, too.
No excitement at all. Until later, after a nap in the car. (He played with it at Mimi’s all afternoon.)
Adam sent a box of goodies for the girls. They each got an Mp3 player, a little purse to carry a cell phone in and this. Here they are opening the last (and only one I got wrap) gift from their dad. A Mario game for the Wii.
Each of the girls got an i-Dog from Santa. The dogs just happen to match the Mp3 player covers from Dad. That worked out well. (if you squint, you can make them out in the picture of all the gifts under the tree. The dogs are sitting on 2 packages there in the front the black on the red box & white on the colorful wrapping.) Sariah’s is white and matches her pink Mosaic Mp3 and clear cover. Miranda’s dog is black and matches her black cover for her pink Mosaic. Cool how that worked out.
I got an art set. I have never had my own before – that I can recall. Now I shall have no reason to NOT be creative.
I also got the new camera to play with (as mentioned before) and a few knitting things. A new needle or two and some wool yarn from Sariah. Miranda and Tallen got me a new mitten knitting pattern book. I look forward to using it to make pretty gloves/mittens - for NEXT Christmas maybe?
Steven got a beautiful frame. I’ll have to get a nice picture of the children taken for him to put in it.
He got a tape – NPR - radio comedy goodies. He was very surprised to find that in his stocking. Our sweet Daddy also got a huge sled with which to carry wood from around the other side of the canal we live on. And a “puffer” for the fireplace. Both VERY useful and practical gifts.
He also got a Lord of the Rings : Two Towers book with behind the scenes stuff from the movie.
Very Cool.
So as the “EYE” is upon us…
So is the eye of Santa.
So, You’d better be GOOD…
For “He” sees all…
