Christmas

Santa was up until 3 AM trying to get everything ready for Christmas morning.  Both boys woke up and had to use the bathroom while Santa was here.  Luckily they were both too tired to realize what was going on.

Emily's presents from Santa (Emily's stocking is my childhood stocking)

Santa visited Ryan and me too.

Our Santa bag filled with all our presents that everyone sent us.  We were spoiled!

Santa visited Nathanial.

Christopher's loot from Santa

Christmas was ready...

Since Christmas was on Sunday we had Church at 10 so instead of opening all the presents we let the boys open their stockings.

Opening stockings

It just wouldn't be Christmas morning without our traditional crepes!

Yummy!

Christopher with raspberries on his fingers.

Emily drinking

Emily eating crepes.

After breakfast we changed back into our pajamas and ate some snacks (leftovers) before starting to open presents.  There wasn't any snow this year, in fact there was GREEN grass instead.  It just wasn't the same without snow.

Christopher received this present from Santa and he really had NO IDEA what it was.

A snow shovel (too bad there wasn't any snow)

Every present we had the boys try and guess what was inside.

Not just any pillow...

...a Mario pillow

He was happy!

A tow truck

A clock radio--this is ALL that Nathanial wanted from Santa

Christopher was "helping" Ryan open his stocking

a magic set

Christopher received 6 different Tonka trucks: ambulance, backhoe, police truck, fire truck, street sweeper, and a tow truck

A Pooh Bear pillow.

Ryan says that Christopher is like Winnie the Pooh, they are both cute and cuddley and ALWAYS hungry!

My new shirt, necklace, and bracelet

We gave the boys a bucket of legos

Aunt Lanie sent the boys each a gift...

A Spiderman Mask

The Amazing Spiderman

From Nathanial

A new bow and arrow set.

From Alex and Angel!

Spongebob!  Between Christmas and Ryan's birthday we now have the first 3 seasons of Spongebob!

A Blue-Ray player from Alex and Angel!  Thanks guys you are the best!

From Christopher

a shark

From Aunt Penny

A black/white hat

lt. brown/lt. purple hat

green/brown hat (I think this is my favorite one)

from Alex and Angel

A Leapster 2

From Aunt Penny, a red/black hat

From Alex and Angel

A Leapster2

Aunt Lanie sent Christopher a Captain America mask

From Grandma and Grandpa Jensen $20. 

Nathanial asked me when we could take it and put it in the bank.

From Aunt Penny...

...a blue/black hat

Aunt Penny made Ryan an orange/cream hat (He really likes it)

From Aunt Lanie--Cars2

From Grandma and Grandpa Jensen...

...a new CTR ring

Ryan gave the boys a Play-Doh Dr. Drill and Fill.  It is a dental play-doh toy

Also from Christopher...

...an alligator

A tradition that we started when Nathanial was about to begin Primary was to give them their very own Book of Mormon and a case that I would make for Christmas.  I think this was one of Christopher's favorite presents.

This year our BIG present to the boys was quite the project to keep it a secret. But we were able to do it.  Here is what they had to open first...

a box full of trains.

When we asked the boys where we should put all of the trains they just got and they said on their train tracks.  We told them to go and get their train tracks.  When they went into their room all of the tracks were missing.  We then told them to go downstairs.

I LOVE the expression on Nathanial's face!

This is what gift giving is all about when you can see the excitement on a child's face

This is what they found, a train table that Ryan and I built.

Emily opening a present from Grandma Christensen

Emily eating a present from Grandma Christensen

What a cutie!

Emily opening a present from the boys, she opened this one all by herself

it just took her a while

and a little while longer

But she finally did it, but then she just wanted the paper.

We all clapped for her when she was done.

She wanted the tag off of the caterpillar.

Playing with his radio

Eating the tag

Emily had a very long and overstimulated day.

Christopher was helping Emily open her presents

A pink flamingo

Yummy!

This is what I made for Emily this year for Christmas (Santa gave them to her though).  I saw a picture of these and thought that I could make them.  They turned out really cute.  They are made from fleece and foam cubes. The different birds are (left to right): parakeet, parrot, owl, penguin, chick, and flamingo.

Hanging out watching a movie

This is what Emily looked like most of the day.  Poor girl was so tired and over stimulated.

She looks so cute in the hat that Aunt Penny made for her

Her little animal

Ryan was holding her and the next thing we know she fell asleep.

Emily's first Christmas.

We had a great Christmas!  Thank you everyone who sent us presents and cards.  We missed seeing family but we are thankful that we were able to talk to everyone and Skype.  I also have to apologize that we didn't send out Christmas cards this year. I have been so overwhelmed that I decided that this year we would cut that from the list.  I promise to send them next year!  We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  Merry Christmas!