Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas tale begins two nights before Christmas:

Abbie and Nathan helped make cookies to leave for Santa. It was a great day for another reason! Nathan said "cookie" with all the sounds in the right place without any help! He may have gotten away with eating a few extra M&Ms for his performance.

On Christmas Eve, we hung our stockings, read scriptures, left cookies for Santa, wrote letters to Santa, tracked Santa's travels around the world --even across the Sandwich Islands which Abbie found hilarious that an island would be made of sandwiches :-) opened Christmas Eve gifts of pjs, and left sparkling reindeer food on the lawn for Rudolph, and sipped magic sleeping potion to help us rest--which worked wonders as all the kids were asleep within 30 minutes of hitting the pillow.

Abbie and Nathan were excited to get new slipper shoes and pajamas for Christmas.

Nathan enjoying his sleeping potion.

Christmas morning, we realized that Santa had indeed visited us.

We then hit the gifts:

Abbie's starting to get on Santa's big girl list. She enjoyed her more grown up gifts this year.

Nathan and Abbie were very interested in each others surprises.

Nathan got the much anticipated Triceratops

Andrew was excited because we were excited but he wasn't quite sure what to make of all the fuss.

The aftermath

Grandpa, Grandma Hales and Ryan joined us for Christmas dinner and some after dinner Wii and playing with all the battery operated doodads Santa left. It was a great day. Nathan said it best: "Mom, I love Christmas!"

We in fact loved it so much that we kept celebrating right on through the weekend with new church outfits for the Sunday after Christmas.

My handsome baby boy

Abbie and Nathan have learned to pose near each other in relative peace but it doesn't last long so you have to be quick on the draw

Or you get this! Abbie's trying to be a good big sister, Andrew just wants to run, and Nathan just wants everyone to get along. My funny and adorable kids.