Christmas!!!!

Christmas morning did not disappoint this year (does it ever when you have kids? I feel like it's always so fun because the kids are always so excited!)!! The kids all slept well, and actually tried to sleep in! Luckily, we had Grandma here, and she finally came in around 6:00 in the morning. She had been awake and waiting for an hour and couldn't take the waiting any longer!! 

The kids were happy to appease her and quickly jumped up (all except Ella, who Grandma gladly cuddled until she woke up enough).

They waited patiently on the stairs until it was time to come down. And everyone was so happy with what they got (but I have to admit, Addie is my daughter, and had some great reactions to things)!

See! Great!

She was so excited to get a Next Generation Doll. She had been saving her money up for one (it's like Target's version of an American Girl Doll, but a LOT cheaper). She also got a new bike, clothes, make-up, and a brownie maker (and I'm sure other stuff I'm forgetting, since I'm writing this almost 2 months after Christmas!).

Grant was calm about his excitement. He has been wanting a new bike since his bike broke at the end of the summer. He was pretty tickled to see a cool new bike for him!

He also got some Wolverine class (which he was ecstatic about!), new jeans and shirts, some drums and percussion set, and other stuff that I've forgotten about.

Landon, who loves to unwrap gifts, was excited to see that this year, Santa wrapped some of the stocking things. He has LOVED the remote control helicopter that he got from Santa (and by the end of the week, dad and Grandpa had both gone out and bought themselves one because they all loved it so much!), new clothes, Pokemon cards, a basketball hoop for his room, and more.

Ella took a while to warm up to being awake, but was SO excited to see her new babydoll stroller and babydoll. She also got some clothes, a bubblegum machine (which she has LOVED), and some other toys.

The picture below is Addie seeing her new bike, which was in the Garage. Aren't he facial expressions great?

Grant with his beloved Wolverine Claws (which I made sure were soft, so someone (most likely him) wouldn't get their eye poked out).

Ring-pops in the stockings were a huge hit.

Landon and Addie opening the pajamas that they didn't get to open the night before.

And we got a 'Special' plate from the Smith family. We've wanted one for a while, and it was fun to finally have our own. We love the tradition of the Special plate. (where you give the plate to someone when they've done something worth celebrating and everyone at the table says something special about them.)

The kids all got a lot of money for Christmas as well. From Grandma and Grandpa, and also from Nana and Grampy. I was glad that Cheresa took the kids shopping with me after Christmas so I didn't have to do it by myself!

And then the big surprise. Grandma and Grandpa got them a trampoline! You can't tell from the picture (and please forgive our tiny messy garage!) but the kids were jumping up and down and squealing. They were SO excited!!

And by the end of the day, Landon was already a pro at his new helicopter.

Now, as I said before, Steven and his dad were in the middle of a big bathroom project. Our upstairs shower had been leaking for a long time. They ended up having to tear up the floor board, replace dry wall, buy a new toilet, re-position the shower drain, lay new flooring, and they also replaced the bathroom mirror and lights and door. I felt terrible that it was such a big project, but it's so nice to have it done!

I can't get the above picture to rotate for some reason, but it gives you an idea of the stages along the way.

We were SO sad to see Grandma and Grandpa go. The week wasn't near long enough. Ella was especially sad to see Grandma go. She LOVED Grandma and would often say 'Grandma, I'm hungry for your purse', because Grandma always has all sorts of goodies in her purse (evident by the blue tongue below!).