Merry Christmas!!!!!

WOW what a whirlwind day!!!! And a windy one too!

I woke up to Samantha very quietly saying "Merry Christmas DJ, time to wake up!" and then they both scurried off to see what santa brought them!! Daddy was already out there, so he was able to hold them at bay til I got up and dressed, which of course, I did right away! They got to open their stockings first and then had to wait for Grandma and Poppa to come up before opening anything! They were both THRILLED with what santa left them....DJ had such faith he would get what he asked for!!! I fear for next year now! He's already told me "I should have asked santa for a playground set!"

Oh, santa left them each a scooter...and for Sam a crown she asked for and for DJ a black angry bird he asked for....at the end of her stocking Sam dropped her head and said quietly (but I heard it!) "I didn't get a wand" and from there I knew right away she was disappointed!! yikes! I swear, she never once said wand in all her askings!!! So, looks like we'll be buying a wand to help the Princess with her accessories!! She did get some shoes tho...should have gotten a wand!

The list of what all the got is ridiculously long...suffice it to say, they were spoiled! Clothes, pj's, books, knick knacks, monster truck, leapfrog game systems, a kitchen, a tractor (you can guess which kid got what) headphones for the new game systems, about 6 packs of gum with 3 packs in them, lotsa  candy/chocolate, the list goes on really! When the last bit of paper was picked up, it was only 9:30!! So we had a lovely breakfast and then settled in to wait for Jake's arrival. DJ was eager to get dressed in his new clothes, especially his Angry Birds t-shirt he'd forgotten all about when he picked it out last month! Probably the last year for that!!

Jake showed up and the kids were VERY anxious for him to open his gifts and watch him do so...DJ was right there to help him unload his stocking too! And get a box for him to put it all in....he adores his big brother!!...until he gets hurt!! Which is inevitable! Tears on Christmas day...its just like any other day!!!!! lol He also got himself REAL good with the tractor later on...it's metal, and I wasn't in the room, but there's a hole in his forehead!!!! Thanks to vanilla, he shouldn't have any bruising, and the swelling was minimal!

About 3 the rest of our family showed up and snacks and apps were consumed....Sam was all over the meatballs that Gayleen brought!! Dinner was served shortly after 5 I think....we had a 13 lb prime rib roast that was cooking beautifully in our oven all afternoon!!! OH it was good!!!!!! My mouth waters now at the memory!! There was also mashed taters, sweet potato pie, corn, peas, gravy, buns, pickles and beets, and horseradish that cleared the sinuses in 0.2 seconds!!! It was SO hot I had to leave the table to blow my nose!! The upside, was I could breathe for a few minutes!! Downside was my mouth was on FIRE!!!!!!! I'm battling some cold/thing my dad brought with him...and learned I can NOT do Alka Seltzer meds...I was so loopy all day Saturday!!!! It was awful!!! My head felt disconnected from my body! NOT fun!!

While I was cleaning up after dinner, Greg and the kids were downstairs putting together Sam's new kitchen...and sorting out the 95 pieces of food I'd gotten to go with it! WOW what a lot of work that was!!!! I'd rather be doing the cleaning for sure!!!! I have to say, I could not have pulled today off without the help and guidance of my mother!!! Her experience was the calming ray of sunshine we needed today!! I can't thank her enough!!!! Delicious!!!

Everyone was gone by 7:30 and the bed time chase ensued...Sam was still terribly upset by the lack of wand in her possession, and promises were made!!!! lol We read 3 of the new books, there must have been about 16 given, so 3 was good! DJ fell asleep instantly, Samantha came out twice...so unusual for her, but she finally spit out what she'd been mulling, and that was about the wand...then she fell asleep quickly. Howie was sound asleep before she was!! He's back to work tomorrow, so back to routine for him!! Reminds me, I gotta get his coffee ready for tomorrow before I head to bed.

Once everyone was settled, mom, dad and I flipped around on the telly....settled on a movie, Facing the Giants, and here I sit typing....I've already seen it, and the acting isn't that great....but now that I'm done here, I'll go sit and watch the last half hour.

I hope and pray everyone has had a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Til next time...God bless!