Christmas!

Our Christmas day in pictures and caption stories...

The children are so excited! It was contained excitement though. Some of them are growing up.

Aliza was the first to give her gifts. She was so excited to give. Aliza put so much thought into the gifts she picked out for everyone. Anna had to close her eyes...

...because Anna's gift was a basket of small things that Anna loves.

A gift card for a Daddy/Daughter date.

And for me--Aliza started working on a very special gift for me on Sept. 25. I had no idea that she was making something for me even though it was saved on my computer! Aliza wrote me a one and a half page, typed, single spaced letter of how much she loves me, 38 reasons why she loves me, a paragraph of encouragement and closed with a Christmas poem that she wrote. So incredibly special and sweet. I'll be re-reading that one frequently!

And then Josiah gave his gifts. Anna *sortof* loved the Barbie.

She tackled Josiah with a hug.

Aliza was hard to shop for this year. Josiah wasn't sure about what he chose for her, but she loved it and he was right there to check it out with her.

How sweet is this moment when Anna gave Aliza the gift she picked out for her. I loved seeing the joy of giving this year.

Isaiah loved, loved, loved opening presents. He was perfectly thrilled with all the Paw Patrol toys he inherited from his cousin. It's probably the only year that I'll be able to get away with re-gifting toys for Christmas and this time I refused to feel guilty about it.

So much happy in this boy!

Anna was a bundle of happy too. =)

Josiah was really playing it cool all morning--and actually the whole season. Whenever he was asked what he wanted for Christmas, he wouldn't really say. Mostly because what he wanted he didn't think we would get for him. So when he opened that Lego robot that he wanted he was excited...

...and he cried. I might be sad when he doesn't cry when he's happy anymore. I might add that the robot is really cool. So far he has played with it a lot!

All Aliza wanted was the Special Edition Dancing with the Stars People Magazine.

She promptly read it cover to cover. (We gave her some other things too that she appreciated.)

Christmas evening was with my family.

We had a lot of fun together.

Isaiah has been watching his gift every time we have visited my parents in the last several weeks. He always asks if he can open it and we finally, finally said yes.

A boat, a shark, a helicopter and a car! It was the perfect play set for him. He LOVED it and continues to LOVE it!

The only other thing Aliza wanted was a journal and she couldn't hardly believe that I didn't give it to her. She got it from Aunt Meghan.

Great Grandad set up his train set on his table. The children really enjoyed watching the train. Funny story--my Mom, Brian, and I were sitting at the table and Grandad asked us what we thought of his sweater. He told us that he got it at Herod's when he and Gramma traveled to London--in 1972!! That would make the sweater 45 years old. lol. He said he still likes it and plans to continue to wear it.