Well, I'm back. And Christmas is over. Two days I took off from blogging to enjoy the holidays with my family...and I'm already a little sad that it went by so quickly. I often feel this way a day or two after Christmas. I feel like the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day flew by in a blink of an eye, and I just didn't get to do as much as I usually love to do leading up to the big day.
But, apart from me already missing Christmas and wishing it was like Christmas everyday... I did have an amazing Christmas. In that picture is EXACTLY what I wanted for Christmas. Three very happy, satisfied, and shocked children (even though the picture doesn't show all three emotions).
Christmas Eve at P-Momma's house was AWESOME. The kids had such a good time, I had such a good time, Hubby had such a good time...and hopefully P-Momma, her son, and her granddaughter all had a good time.
P-Momma put out an amazing spread of finger foods and cooked up a big pot of white chili that was delicious. After we all chowed down, we opened up presents. Everyone got something they really wanted, and had been wanting for a long time....
We started off with a couple of small gifts....
A light up mohawk for Butter
A LED glowstick for Jelly
Then it was on to the main gifts. The moment the kids had all been waiting for....
Cuddles the Fur Real Monkey for Jelly. This was one of the toys that was at the very top of her list to Santa this year. She is a devout collector of monkeys, and has around 20 or so stuffed toy monkeys. She loves all of her stuffed monkeys, but when this thing came on TV during a commercial, her eyes lit up. She wanted a "real" monkey. And Grammy sure did deliver for her. It is one of the cutest toys I've ever played with. Even though it's mechanical, it has a soft body, and the stuff that it does is amazing. It interacts with sound and movement. It sleeps. It eats. It burps. It kisses. It makes the cutest little monkey sounds when it's thrown around and gets to hang upside down. I spent my fair share of time playing with it, because it's quite hard to put it down once you get the monkey started.
A remote controlled helicopter for Butter. He's actually asked for one of these for the past couple of Christmases, and Grammy thought that this year he was finally old enough to take care of one properly. We've explained that it's something he will have to work in to using, because he won't be ready to just take it outside and have at it. And since Christmas Eve, I've heard the sound of the helicopter being flown around his room, as he finds his air legs and gets accustomed to the controls.
A titanium plated flat iron for Peanut. Again, something she had at the top of her list to Santa. She's received a flat iron last year, but it wasn't a very good one. She is cursed with hair just like her mom's, and it doesn't take straightening very well. Thankfully, Grammy got her a flat iron that's top of the line, better than ceramic, and will flatten just about any hair type. It works, too! She decided to try it out when we got home that night, and was very impressed with how smooth and silky her hair looked after being straightened. I believe this Christmas gift will get PLENTY of use.
A new blending stick for Hubby. P-Momma knows how much Hubby likes his kitchen gadgets. The blending stick can basically replace the mixer, food processor, and blender that we own. I am all for him getting new kitchen toys, because it means he wants to try it out pretty fast. I have a feeling we'll be trying some new creations in the coming week.
And for me?
An entire case of paper for my classroom. Some may think it's an odd gift, but it's not AT ALL. The last couple of times I've been at P-Mommas, I've told her how much I've wanted to start keeping my own stockpile of paper in my classroom to use. Paper is available to teachers at our school, but it also never fails that when I'm in a bind and need to print stuff up, there's no paper available. Plus, having my own supply means more drawing/craft stuff that I can do with my students. And, what I really wanted my own paper supply for was to go with a printer that I wanted to get for my classroom. Well, thanks to Hubby and P-Momma working together... I got my printer. The next day. Along with a spare toner cartridge that P-Momma also got for me, but had been slipped home quietly without me knowing so that I could open it Christmas morning when I unwrapped my new printer.
Every year, I make P-Momma a calendar. It has pictures on it that have been taken throughout the year. It has become the normal gift, and something I've done for the past four or five years. This year, Peanut asked if we could do something different. I was all for it, but we had to think of something that P-Momma would enjoy as much as she loves her calendars.
So, this year, we bought a giant picture frame and filled it with pictures of the whole family. There were school pictures and baby pictures, a picture of Hubby and I, and we even left a couple of spaces open so that P-Momma could put a couple of her own pictures in there. I realized this morning that I didn't actually take a picture of the finished product. But, I created a special picture to go in the very center of the frame. This picture...
I really liked how it came out, and so did P-Momma.
All in all, it was a WONDERFUL day. We had so much fun. We left around 6:30PM, and it was home to take care of getting ready for Santa's arrival.
Peanut took care of leaving Santa his snack. He got some cookies, egg nog, and even a small bag of carrots for his reindeer...
Then, it was off to bed for her, and the other two kids followed shortly behind. I did my usual Christmas Eve tradition of putting on 24 hours of A Christmas Story and watched a full showing before I decided that it was time for Santa to arrive. After Santa had filled all the stockings and placed the gifts under the tree, Hubby and I called it a night.
Here's the tree once Santa had arrived....
I know it doesn't look like it, but there are 45 gifts under the tree... not including the gifts for Hubby and I that were added to the mix the next morning.
Christmas morning, I woke up around 6:30AM. I was awoken by the buzzing of Butter playing with his new helicopter, of all things. Peanut and Butter were already awake, which was a first. I'm usually the first one up. Jelly was still asleep. She had woken up at some point to open up her stocking, as all of the stocking stuffers were strewn all over her floor, but then she had apparently gone back to sleep.
Hubby and I decided to grab a cup of coffee, but even after drinking it Jelly hadn't woken up. I couldn't contain my excitement anymore, so I decided to take matters in to my own hands and walk in to Jelly's room yelling that Santa had came. Yes, just like a little kid. But it worked, and Jelly was up and out of bed in a flash.
For the next hour and change, we all opened gifts. I wish I could share all of the photos that were taken that morning, but it would take FOREVER to upload that many pictures on here. If you're a friend with me on Facebook, you can always take a looksy later on today when I finally get them uploaded.
There were LOTS of very excited and shocked faces as each gift was unwrapped. For the 8th year in a row, I had successfully convinced the kids that Christmas was going to be smaller than what they were used to. And for the 8th year in a row, they fell for it. Not only did they fall for the muse of having a small Christmas, but I even had them convinced that there was going to be no big electronics this year. Each and every year, they've always received some form of electronic as their main gift. This year, I told them it wasn't happening.
Butter had asked for a tablet or iPod and a Playstation 3... two gifts I told him he'd absolutely NOT be getting. Jelly had asked for a tablet...again, not happening. Peanut had asked for a camera, a smartphone, and a Playstation 3...yeah, no.
I had told each and everyone of them to forget it, I was NOT buying electronics.
But, guess what?
I got Butter and Jelly both a Nook HD. I got Peanut a camera and a smartphone. And, Peanut and Butter were both blown away when the last gifts that they opened, together, were Playstation 3s for each of them.
In fact, this year, I had pretty much bought every single item off of their Christmas wish lists.
Peanut got tons of new clothes, new boots, new Bob's shoes, trivia board games, a curling wand, make-up, perfumes, infinity scarves, her camera, smartphone, and PS3.
Butter received new clothes, a remote controlled car, a football, a dartboard, K-Nex, a Duck Dynasty pillow and throw, the Nook HD, and his PS3... among other things.
Jelly got Barbies, a newborn baby doll, a styling head, a Furby Boom (that she's been asking for since Halloween), new clothes, and the Nook HD...among other things.
I got the printer I wanted, a replacement toner, a massaging pillow, and a new wallet with matching cell phone case.
Hubby got a new knife and an Atari game controller for his iPad...and the iPhone 5s that I bought him last week.
It was a great Christmas for EVERYONE.
After spending a couple of hours of opening up and trying out the new toys, we got ready to head to my mom's. Which I'll save for tomorrow's entry. I really have to get ready cause I'm taking Peanut to her check-up doctor's appointment.
I still have so much to share, but I have to stop somewhere. I'll pick up where I left off tomorrow...but for today?
Have an awesome Friday, everyone!!
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