Report on Our Holiday

Sunday we went to my mom's house. My older brother and his family couldn't make it due to the weather which was too bad. We had a good time though with my other two brothers. Mike got to take all of my coconut date balls home since Dan wasn't there and my mom doesn't like coconut. He told me I could just put To: Mike on them next year and he'd be happy. The girls got the Webkinz they wanted, some makeup and a couple of games which they played with their cousins right away.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we stayed home and relaxed. Well, we cleaned Monday because I told the girls Santa wouldn't leave anything if the house was in the shape it was in. We opened our gifts to each other Monday night. The girls were thrilled with the movies and CD's I got for them. They each got pajamas they love. And while Anna got a great princess towel, Jessica got an inexpensive digital camera. She was in heaven and snapped pictures the rest of the evening. The girls got me some nice picture frames so I can put their school pictures on the wall in my living room, and a bowl with body wash, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray and some Olay lotion. Just what I wanted!

Santa was especially generous as he always seems to be. He just doesn't know when to stop. Maybe some day he'll learn. The stockings were full, the cookies eaten, and lots of presents under the tree. The girls each got an American Girl doll (Julie and Ivy). Anna got lots more princess stuff and a Harry Potter game which we haven't played yet. Maybe once we get past New Year's. Jessica got her Nintendo DS and 2 games. She declared this the BEST Christmas EVER!!! I guess she didn't really think she'd get the Nintendo DS even though she asked for it. More Li'l Webkinz were in the stockings. And Mom got a refurbished iPod nano. It's an older 2 GB one, but I totally love it. Of course it took me 2 days to figure out how to load songs on it and Jessica picked it up and 60 seconds later was playing solitare. But I really like it. I seem to always get something on the girls' list that they can't have yet, but they're always okay with that.

I just love laying in bed on Christmas or Easter morning and having them run out and check things and then report back to me. "Santa came!" "He ate the cookies and left a note!" "There are presents under the tree! 8 for me, 8 for Anna and even some for you!" "The fish got presents." "Lucy and Jinny got a lot of stuff in their stocking." "Amanda got a present, too!" "Mom, get up!" I tried to stay in bed until 6:30, but it was pretty hard when they were awake by 5:20. I told them my mom and dad wouldn't let us get them up until 7:00. They thought that was silly. I tried to stall by telling them about the time my brothers and sister and I got up at 4 a.m., but still had to wait until 7:00. By the time my parents came down, we were all asleep again on, under, and behind the couch in the living room. Christmas is so much fun with kids!