Christmas Day 2012

Oh, we had a good Christmas.  David called it "our best Christmas yet."  I think it helped that he had 11 days away from work (I do not think he has ever had that much time off work in a row since we got married).  He also stayed away from working at home during that time.  And with the semester over, he had no school to stress about.  I haven't seen him so relaxed in a long, long time.  It was heavenly.

David and I always talk about the gifts and traditions of society and whether we are magnifying the true purpose of the season.  With all the gifts and stuff and more stuff, we often wonder if we are missing the big picture... our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  As I record this Christmas for our family, I want to share how much we know of the living Savior and love Him.  We are very aware of the true meaning of Christmas and the reason we celebrate it.  Christmas just so happens to be my favorite time of the year and I feel the Savior in all of it. Christmas time makes me happy. I love the lights, the tree, the decorating, the gift giving, the treats, the traditions, the building of memories, the excitement of children, the opportunity to talk with our kids about the Savior. I love it all.  We can always do better, but I feel a sense of happiness that we became closer to our Savior this Christmas season. 

 

I think I understand why David thought this Christmas was our best yet.  We were all relaxed.  All happy.  The boys were so excited to give each other gifts...I think this is the first year they found joy in the "giving" side of things.  They were more than willing to share their toys all throughout the day.  We had a peaceful feeling in our home.  So, even with all the stuff, we felt the presence of our Savior as we enjoyed giving, sharing, and being together as a family.

I think my favorite part of Christmas morning is the stockings.

I love as the kids find all sorts of fun, small goodies.

 

 Porter enjoyed eating the cookies left out for Santa.

He cracked me up as would sneak up to the plate, grab a bite, then run away, only to sneak back over for another go at it.

 

 

A harmonica for everyone.

Did I mention that I love stocking stuffers!

 

 

 

Caden has been asking for a "real" camera for a long time.  So, he got a real, virtually indestructible, camera for kids.  He has been taking pictures of us all ever since.

 

 

Love this toothless happiness.

 

 

Porter continued to crack me up throughout the morning as he wouldn't open any of his gifts until the camera was aimed at him.

 

 

We open up one gift at a time so we can see what each other is getting. The boys had fun watching as well as opening their own gifts.

 

 

Matching hats!

 

 

 

 

 Daddy opening time.

A handy, dandy, rolling travel bag for all those business trips.

 

 

 Label Maker!

Our house is going to be SO organized!

 

 

This little one was there too.

 

 

This little dyson vacuum is the one toy that Porter was not letting out of his possession.  He pushed it around most of the day.  When one of his brothers would pick it up (during a rare moment when he would let go of it) he raced to get it back.  Thankfully, his brothers were quick to relinquish it without any resentment.  They were very respectful of that fact that it was given to him.  Or maybe they didn't want to endure his wrath!

 

 

Boys and cars.

They just go together.

 

 

Mini cars found in their stockings.

I am amazed at how much time these boys have spent playing with these tiny cars that Caden was thrilled to discover "go by themselves."

 

 

Hanging out in the entryway, watching the boys play.

 

 

Chillin' on the couch together at the end of a good day.