Christmas Morning...

I am completely against beginning Christmas while it is still dark outside. Maybe it's because we never did it as children, or because it just doesn't seem right to open in the dark, or because everything is done at 7am and then what???
Michael and I planned on about 8am ish and the kids came in just after 7:30, so it worked out perfectly. Because of "the wall" they were able to walk past the tree to our room to wake us up. They were excited, it was so fun.

This is what Santa brought....I got a sneak peek before the kids came out...

Waiting....anxiously by "the wall"

Here is the wall from a distance

...and from the other side...
...and they are released...




Little Kelly dolls, Christmas Tree & Miss Rudolf
Star Wars guys with santa hats and lights around them...
Alyssa loved her giant coloring book....
... and so did Matthew

Tyler loved the Bakugan that Alyssa got him
Alyssa loved the dolls that Matthew got her (love his beaming smile)
Alyssa got me earrings...
Someone digging under the tree...
Tyler also got me earrings
The doll that Tyler gave Alyssa

3 new Strawberry movies (amazon, $2 each) Look at that crazy face.
Spreading out the new Pokemon cards

My present from Matthew (they were fun socks disguised inbetween 2 pieces of wood from the garage--nice idea, Michael)
Matthew got Michael a new pocketknife for his keychain (he's lost several at the airport in security check in)

We got Matthew a medal for his Turkey Trot placing

I picked out these lego sets a few weeks before and when we were shopping with the kids for each other, both Tyler and Matthew stopped at these VERY sets and said they looked the coolest...I was beaming inside because I had agonized over which ones to get.

Cupcake mittens
Trying to solve Daddy's Rubix Cube
Even though Alyssa told Michael that I got these bike tires the week before, he appeared surprised. They are mountain bike tires for his road bike--to convert his bike so we can do family rides on the trails.
After presents and a bunch of candy, we sat down to an egg/sausage breakfast casserole with orange juice. Tyler in his new coat (they desperately needed more than the sweatshirt they had been using).
Tyler reading about our family gift (explained at the end here)
Then we got to the BIG BOX


Vintage Strawberry Shortcake house

All she wanted for C'mismus was a dolly house, so this is what she got.
A bit of a dramatic story around this item, shipped from NJ from an ebayer....my mom actually got it without my knowing about it. She loves it.



The boys getting their legos out

Close up on the house

Our Family gifts...lots of fun games
Michael's loot
Alyssa's loot
Matthew's loot
My loot (new lens and cell phone skin in my hands)

Tyler's loot

Our last gift was an envelope that we gave the kids at breakfast. It announced that they needed to pack up some stuff for 4 days...we were heading out at 2pm on a family adventure to a cabin in the woods. We'd stay there for 2 days, then go to Grandma's in Houston for the other 2. They were so excited! And so was I....