Chris and Kristen + 2: A Joyous Christmas Day

For probably the last year for a very long time Hannah and Owen slept until 8:30am on Christmas morning. They didn't wake up asking about Santa, but were quickly reminded and were eager to open the door to see if he brought the things they asked for. In their Christmas jammies they ran down the hall after each other to discover their piles of presents and shared gifts that Santa left them. Santa got it just right too! Chris and I had already decided that if it took all day to open gifts that was fine with us and it did take us awhile because they got so wrapped up in each gift that they had to stop and play for awhile with each one. We only got Santa gifts opened before brunch and then opened family gifts later in the morning. Hannah was so cute and was totally into unwrapping her presents. As she was carefully pulling off the paper she would say, "What is it?" and proceed to make a guess about the contents. She would guess based on the size and appearance of the gift so her guesses included "another book, another movie, another baby doll." When she thought she had it figured it she would say, "Oh, I know!".

Santa brought a kitchen table play set complete with dishes and pots and pans for both Hannah and Owen to share. It has an oven with a timer and the oven glows red when cooking. Included with the kitchen table were items for baking cookies and pizza as well as serving ice cream. Santa also brought felt breakfast food including pancakes-their favorite! They have been delighted with this gift and play with their kitchen items all day long. We eat a lot around here!

Stockings were filled with toy cars, movies, and new music plus a couple more zoo animals.

Owen gets a Duplo fire station.

He got a backhoe loader too...just like he asked for!

Santa left Hannah and Owen's presents in special paper. Hannah had green paper with Santa on it.

Owen opens a hay baler that spits hay out of the back as it rolls along...tracties, yay!

Owen's special paper was red and had Santa in trains on it.

A baby bed! Somehow Santa in his magical ways picked up Mommy's doll cradle from long ago and brought it back with new pretty pink bedding. This gift was so special! Just look at her face!

Santa also knew that a baby doll car seat/carrier would be a good addition to the high chair (that clips onto the kitchen table), diaper bag, and baby bed. I think Hannah's babies have already been buckled and unbuckled 500 times.

A Special Christmas and Birthday Brunch

Keeping with tradition Nana, Grandad, Uncle Jake, Great Grandma Hanna and EE came over for brunch on Christmas Day which also happens to be Nana's birthday. They walked into a living with toys spread from one side to another and a happy Hannah and Owen still in their pajamas. In fact they stayed in their pajamas all day because we couldn't pull them away from their toys long enough to get dressed and I decided if they were happy in the pajamas then pajamas were fine with me. Plus they looked adorable in their matching stripes! Everyone joined in the fun as we played, and played, and played some more.

Great Grandma Hanna and EE

Pizza's up!

Happy Birthday Nana!

A lot of love shared here.

Hannah and Nana watch snowflakes (napkin rings) fall through the air.

Great Grandma Hanna looks at Hannah and Owen's Santa picture.

Nana's friend sends Hannah and Owen a cash register which is right up their alley.

We love playing grocery store.

Later in the afternoon Grandma and Papa came by to visit and play too.

Christmas Day Comes to an End

Words cannot fully express how wonderful, joy filled, and awesome this Christmas day was with our family and our precious children around us. I thank God everyday for the blessing us with such gifts and for bringing Hannah and Owen into our lives. We cherish every minute we spend with them. Hannah and Owen played and played and played on Christmas day. We were filled with joy seeing their reactions and love for their new toys. When I tried to put them down for a nap earlier in the day they burst into tears and said, "no nap, no nap, play more". Nana interjected on their behalf and convinced me that they should be able to enjoy this special day without a nap and they did so wonderfully! They finally decided at 4:30pm that they were hungry (after eating only a cereal bar for breakfast) and wanted to eat some dinner...their selection...pancakes of course! After dinner we took baths with our new bath toys from Grandma and Papa and Hannah and Owen fell asleep in my arms listening to Christmas stories about baby Jesus at 6:30pm. It was an awesome day and one I hope not ever to forget!