On Christmas Eve, we got home about 11:00 from the Linger's party. The boys all opened up one gift--their new Christmas PJ's, and the big black bag on the couch had one new pillow for all of them, too. Thankfully, I got Kanyon's pajamas months ago, because I struggled with finding pajamas for the twins in the right size. I can't believe the amount of stores and online companies that were sold out of their size! Luckily, I was finally able to find some for them (I got 2 at King's in town of all places!!), and I got Ammon's bottoms at the local silkscreening store. They all seemed happy with what I'd picked out for them! As soon as they opened their gifts, they went straight to bed. This was the first year that they didn't leave cookies and milk out for Santa, or wrote last minute letters, either. It's both nice and sad that they're growing older and we're aren't doing some traditions anymore! After they went to bed, Josh and I finished wrapping and getting things ready for Christmas morning, and we finally went to bed around 1am.
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| Micah's gifts from Santa: a new chair and a metal sled |
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| Kanyon's gift from Santa: the elusive Terrain Twister that he'd seen on TV |
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| Jonah got this Madden '16 XBox game from Santa |
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| Ammon got this new Nike Golf Driver from Santa |
On Christmas morning, we were delighted that the boys slept in (probably because they stayed up so late the night before). We all got up about 8am, which was so nice! The boys came out and saw their Santa gifts, and emptied the contents of their stockings. They all received different soaps, jerky, chocolate candy, and iTunes cards.
Josh and I always fill a stocking for each other, and we always give each other chocolates and lottery scratch tickets. This year, I also gave Josh a new electric knife in his because ours broke on Thanksgiving.
It didn't take long for the boys to want to start opening more gifts. Usually, they play with their Santa gifts for a while, but since they're getting older, they don't have a lot of "toys" they can play with on Christmas morning anymore! They wanted to open the gifts that they had gotten for/from each other first. A few weeks earlier, they'd drawn each other's names, and I'd taken each boy shopping one-on-one to pick out gifts for the brother who's name they pulled. They each had a budget of $15--I supplied $10 of it, and they contributed $5 of their own money. It's become a fun tradition, and they look forward to it, too!
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| Kanyon opening the gift from Ammon |
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| He got a foam rocket shooter and a star wars pez dispenser |
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| Micah opening the gift from Jonah. |
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| He got a new airsoftgun and some reese's candy |
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| Jonah opening the gift from Kanyon |
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| He got a gel airsoft target and some candy bars |
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| Ammon opening the gift from Micah |
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| He got some nerf bullets (for a gun he'd received at the Seminary class's secret santa) and golf socks |
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| We usually make back what we spend on lotto tickets, but this year we didn't get a good return. Josh only got $4 and I got $12. We used that money to buy PowerBall tickets because it was over $200 million, and one of those tickets won $100, so I guess it all evened out! ;) |
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| The boys wearing their new pajama pants |
After breakfast was over, we continued with the gift unwrapping. We took turns, going from youngest to oldest, and Josh and I only opened a gift every other round. It was very relaxing and so enjoyable to take our time opening gifts! We finished around 11:00.
Before the boys started putting away or playing with all their new stuff, I made them take individual pictures with all their new gifts. It's something I've done since my childhood, and I'm glad they continue the tradition!
The twins were so excited to have new bedding, which was desperately needed, but not something they'd listed on their Christmas wish lists. At the beginning of December, we told all the kids to put about 5 items on their lists, and think about things they needed and list those first, and then to write down things they wanted, too. Kanyon's needs were winter gloves, and his wants were Terrain Twister, iTunes card, and a standing punching bag. Micah's needs were: iPod charger and a bed lamp, and his wants were: soccer ball, water botle, dri-fit undershirt, bean bag chair, and a sled. Jonah's needs were: jeans and snow boots, and his wants were: Madden 15 XBox game, Boise State blanket, and a water bottle. Ammon's needs were: boxer briefs and a phone case, and his wants were: basketball socks, vapor driver, athletic shorts, sweatshirt, XBox controller, and ProVI's and ProVIX's. Josh and I were able to fulfill almost all of their lists, and add a few things, too, which surprised me because our budget was smaller this year than the last few years. We are so blessed.
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| Jonah's new BSU bed! This was tough to find (thank goodness for online shopping)! |
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| Micah's new Duck Dynasty bed. His comforter didn't come with a matching pillowcase like Jonah's did, so I made one for Micah. It was my first time making a pillowcase, and I was pretty proud of the finished product. |
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| Kanyon spent a lot of time outside that afternoon driving his new terrain twister. My mom gave him Darth Vader slippers, and he wore them all day--even in the snow!! |
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| Ammon tried out his new Nike driver, and just LOVES it! |
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| As we were putting stuff away, I realized that Kanyon's new lego set was eerily very similar to the graham cracker army hide-out he'd built 2 days before! They both have water around it, a ladder, and a satellite on top. |
Later that afternoon, we watched the last installment in our Star Wars marathon. We'd watched a Star Wars movie every single day that week, starting with the newer 3 episodes, then watching the older trilogy. When the movie ended, we started getting ready for dinner; we were hosting Christmas dinner that evening with Josh's parents and his uncle and aunt. We thought we would have the meal about 5:00, but we started getting ready a little too late, so we didn't eat until 5:30. Dinner was delicious! Josh cooked ham that Ed & Kathy purchased, I made potatoes au gratin, rolls, cream corn, and an orange salad. Barb brought a yummy chocolate/cream cheese dessert, and Kathy brought sparkling cider.
When dinner was over, we headed into town to watch the brand new Star Wars: the Force Awakens at the movie theater. It was the first time we've ever taken our family to the movie theater on Christmas Day, and it was a lot busier than I'd anticipated. We had to sit more up front because there were so many people! It was pretty good, and it was a fun way to end our Christmas Day and our Star Wars marathon as a family.
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| I know the pic is blurry, but I thought it was funny that Kanyon even wore his new Darth Vader slippers to the movie theater! Very fitting indeed! |
I love spending Christmas Day at home. I like that we can spend all day in our pajamas, and spend the day exactly how we want. I just loved Christmas this year! I felt joyful the entire day! The boys were all happy with their gifts, and I liked spending the day with my little family.
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