On Christmas Day Bryan was scheduled to work at 8am but the doctor on the early shift let him come in late at 10am. We were so thankful because that enabled him to see the boys get their Santa gifts and enjoy that time with them instead of rushing out the door.
Joshua woke up first - not because he was thinking about "Santy" but just because he was ready to be up and was fussing! We woke Caleb up at 6:30 so they could come downstairs and see their gifts. Santa brought them a toy kitchen to share, and then each of them got new rainboots, books, a movie, stuffed animal and stocking stuffers. The kitchen was a big gift so we tried to stick to the "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" theory for their Santa gifts this year.
Santa came! And he was done by 11pm because his elves worked overtime at the beginning of the week on toy kitchen assembly!
Bryan bringing the boys downstairs
Checking out their Santa stuff
Enjoying the new kitchen
Joshua sautéing some vegetables on his tip toes
Doing some early morning artwork using stocking stuffers from Santa
I was a little bummed when Bryan left for work since my family wasn't in town yet. I took the boys outside which was a good way to pass the time! They had a blast jumping on the trampoline together.
Around 1pm my family arrived in College Station. My parents, brother, his girlfriend Haley and his two children made the drive to see us since Bryan's work schedule wouldn't allow us time to go back to Houston. We were so grateful they were willing to accommodate our schedule! We decided to let the kids open gifts right away since they would probably go nuts if they had to wait until after dinner when Bryan got home.
Caleb opening his first gift from my parents
His very own guitar!
This little buddy loves music and we are excited to see that interest of his develop!
My brother has owned a guitar since he was 2 years old and plays bass in a band so he was able to give Caleb lots of tips and get his new guitar tuned!
Caleb and I did his skeleton puzzle while Joshua took a nap.
Unfortunately my poor Dad (who just got over a horrible virus and sinus infection that Caleb & Bryan also had) developed an awful earache on Christmas Day. His pain was almost unbearable so Mom took him up the the ER in College Station to get him checked out. Bryan was working in the ER in Bryan so he didn't see him, but one of his colleagues took great care of Dad and got him some relief and some prescriptions.
In the meantime, our power went out at least 15 times due to high winds and storms! We were beginning to get nervous that we wouldn't be able to prepare our dinner! Luckily the power outages stopped around 4pm, exactly when Haley needed to put her famous roasted chicken in the oven.
I was grateful for my niece Isabella and nephew Malikai on Christmas Day. They did such a great job playing with both of our boys. Caleb and Joshua both had a blast playing hide and seek and all kinds of other games in the house. Many kids their age (11 and 13) would rather go do their own thing but they were generous with their time and sweet to our boys. Even when Isabella played a computer game she let her pesky little cousin watch over her shoulder :)
Once power was restored, the women got to work! Mom, Haley and I worked together to get dinner ready and I'm happy to say it all turned out great! Roasted chicken, ham, dressing, fresh corn, salad, broccoli cheese casserole, green bean bundles, pretzel rolls, banana pudding and lemon bars! It was definitely a group effort and lots of fun to be in the kitchen together.
While everyone was busy cooking or playing, Joshua helped himself to the markers from Caleb's stocking.
Bryan got home before 6pm (his shift ended at 5pm) and we managed to all squeeze into the dining room with the family Christmas tree for our meal. It was a tight fit but better than sitting at separate tables! I was so happy to have my family in town for our first Christmas in our new house.
Once everyone left, Bryan took the boys upstairs for baths. They had been playing hard all day! Before Bryan could even get the bath water run Caleb had fallen asleep on his bed. Poor buddy was exhausted after several days of fun with cousins on both sides of the family! I managed to get him in his pajamas and into bed so he wouldn't sleep all night in his clothes on top of the covers. I'm pretty sure this is the sign of a wonderful Christmas!
Joshua was still going pretty strong since he took a 2.5 hour afternoon nap. Bryan snapped a rare photo of me with my sweet baby doing our nightly bedtime routine. He is making his classic "Cheese!" face that I love.
We had a very Merry Christmas and loved spending time with both of our families for the holiday. My cup overflows when I look at the pictures from the past few days and see all the tangible ways that God has blessed us - and feel in my heart the intangible blessings too!
Luke 2:11
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