Merry Christmas!!

I love the excitement of Christmas morning! For some reason, Tate was in our bed this morning and the first thing he said was "I'm going to run downstairs and see if Santa came". After stopping him to explain he needed to wait for his sister to wake up, he just couldn't stand it. The suspense was killing him. We, finally, went into Maren's room and she immediately popped up with a smile. (Which is always a good thing). We, then, opened the gates. Tate ran down the stairs while Maren, I think she thought Santa was actually downstairs, was a little hesitate because they have this on-off relationship. Tate was in awe of the presents and his new bike! Maren, instantly, began jumping on her trampoline. They quickly paused for a picture in front of tree and then once again had to wait. Bella was not going to let us have a peaceful morning unless she got her walk so Jason walked her while, lucky me, got to stay with 2 anxious children in front of a pile of presents.

They had a blast! Besides the bike, Tate got a racetrack, John Deere boots, a Leapster, games, Buzz Lightyear and a guitar. Maren got an American Girl BittyBaby, which after many names, she decided on Gabby, highchair for her baby, a Leapster, puzzles, dress up clothes, scooter and helmet and, also, a guitar. Of course, that is the big stuff and there is plenty of other gifts to keep them busy for a long time.

While reading the paper this morning, I came across an article that I thought I'd share. Michael O' Rourke in the SA Express says it best..."I will spend the day memorizing. It won't be hard. You only get so many Christmasas in a lifetime, even fewer when your children are young, so the memories become etched....Today will speed by just as fast as the days leading up to it raced by. The trash can will be festooned with ripped paper, ribbon and bows. The coffee on other days won't taste nearly as good. Some gifts will fit: some won't. But the best gift of the day is the time spent together. Time is the absolute perfect gift. Time always fits. I only wish it last longer. I'm just glad the memories last forever."

After reading this in the paper this morning, while drinking my coffee and eating our traditional coffee cake, I changed my outlook for the day. We had not a single plan for the day so instead of trying to pick the house up, do dishes and worry about messes, I laid on the floor and watched my children mesmorized by the new racetrack Tate got and took in every part of them because they will and are growing up so fast and before we now it these days will be gone. Tomorrow I can start it all up again but, today, I decided to relax and enjoy the excitement of the day and we did. We watched the Spurs win, played outside, watched movies and had a good dinner. What a perfect day to spend at home together! Of course, we would love to be closer to our families on the holidays but, if we can't, this is the way to spend it!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that everyone took time to enjoy!