Aubree set her alarm for 6:45 and made sure she and all her siblings were in our bedroom at exactly 7am. Despite their excitement, they were remarkably patient as we prepared to head downstairs for the much anticipated Christmas morning reveal.
Once downstairs, everyone made quick work of their stockings. Admittedly, their stockings were slightly less stuffed this year than in year's past, but it was balanced out with more presents under the tree.
The rest of the morning we alternated between opening a few presents, having a pre-breakfast (while we waited for the real breakfast to cook), opening a few presents, having real breakfast, then finishing the presents. My favorite part of Christmas morning is watching the kids unwrap gifts I know they will love.
Graham has recently become infatuated with pandas. I got him a panda Beanie Boo ("Ming") and a panda costume. Both were huge hits. Graham also got a big box of little Legos that he says were a top gift.
Thane is our resident gamer. Given the chance, he would play all day everyday. One of his favorite games is Kingdomino. The sequel, QueenDomino was just released. Thane's other favorite gifts were a set of roller blades and pads, and a huge Lego airplane kit.
At the top of Bryce's wish list was a gray suit. How can you say no to a kid who wants a suit for Christmas? Unfortunately, finding a gray suit was much easier said than done. I went to tons of local stores and couldn't find anything even close. Looking online wasn't much simpler. Finally, I found a good (though pricey) option at Blank N Bianco. Bryce is thrilled and he will look sharp! He was also super excited to get Legos, rechargeable batteries, and a battery charger.
Aubree introduced Nellie to the Sandra Boynton song "Your Personal Penguin." It quickly became a favorite, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to get Nell the book for Christmas. Like the boys, Nellie also got her own Lego set. Normally I'd say getting a 2-year old little Legos is ridiculous, but Nellie and Graham often play Legos together in the mornings, and Nellie always tries to steal Graham's Batman figure and boat. So, I got Nellie her own Batman figure and boat. Fifth child benefits I guess.
Aubree commented that she got a lot of more practical things this year. She got three pairs of shoes (boots, ankle boots, and church shoes), a ton of earrings and a jewelry organizer, clothes, and a pocket knife.
The ankle boots have a bit of a heel and make Aubree seem super tall (which she loves).
Grandpa and Grandma Winters got the kids a laser tag set. They can't wait to shoot each other and envision mighty battles (the first battle ended with an enormous tantrum from Graham who was furious that he lost).
All that gift opening tuckered Mark right out. Later that day, we realized that this was the beginning of being sick, and he spent most of the afternoon and the next day in bed.
Did I mention that we woke Christmas morning to a winter wonderland? It only snows here a couple times a year, so to have it snow on Christmas was a magical miracle. After opening presents, we pushed pause on playing with any of them, bundled up in snow gear, and headed outside.
The kids met up with friends and neighbors and got down to serious snow fun.
Nellie was unsure initially, but quickly discovered that playing in the snow can be a lot of fun.
Getting rides on the sled definitely improved her opinion of the cold white stuff.
For my part, I followed the kids around and made them stay still long enough to snap photos.
Snow pictures are my favorites.
Thane enjoyed scooping shovels full of wet snow onto his head.
Mark shoveled a path the length of the neighborhood sidewalk. That was before he realized he was sick.
In the afternoon, the kids returned to their gifts. Bryce and Thane worked cooperatively to put together the complicated Lego airplane.
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