Christmas 2009!

This Christmas was wonderful...probably my best in many many years. The last few Christmas's have been in the middle of a divorce (my parents side) and then last year was our first post divorce Christmas (nothing like hauling the three kids back and forth between my parents houses to do each tradition twice). I seriously called it quits after last year.

This year was what I always wanted but could never obtain while being students for 7 years and constantly traveling. For instance, I got to decorate for Christmas and we bought our first Christmas tree.

All previous years we were not home for the holidays and were scrambling to get through finals. Over the 7 years of not decorating, we have accumulated a lot of decorations/ gifts, like ornaments and stuff. I was so surprised to pull out ornaments I had more or less never seen that said "Stan & Eisha 02" or "Babies first Christmas 05" it was all quite magical!

I got to cook the food/ meal and set the table and pick the background music... and host the parties! I especially loved this because I could still put my kids in their beds while entertaining company and stay out late. So much better then dragging grumpy kids everywhere.

We did our own family traditions Christmas eve and Christmas morning. It was so fun to plan out what memories we wanted our kids to have about Christmas day (eat first or presents first or acting out the nativity or cookie decorating etc...so much to choose from). Anyway, the morning was perfect. We had a beautiful set up with the china, table cloth, candles etc...and Stan made a cinnimon sugar muffins and homemade wassil. We ate and then cleaned up. Then we opened gifts. The kids were so excited and so grateful!

Note: those gold and silver things are called "crackers" you pull the end and get a joke and toy, they are pretty much standard in England and Australia during Christmas time.

Somehow I got coal in my stocking (nice Stan) and the girls felt so bad for me they decided to share their presents and candy to make me feel better...so cute! I asked them what I should do this next year to be good and Olivia said "you just need to give us candy, not put us in time out and take us to the play place in the mall everyday." Then the girls proceeded to tell me all the reasons I deserved the coal, "remember the time you yelled at us? And that time you took our toys away? etc...yea, Santa doesn't like that!" Side note: that is so funny I was just talking about how this was the best Christmas ever and I got coal in my stocking (brilliant)!

Anyway, the kids all loved their gifts and they all really really believe in Santa, so it is extra magical. We spent the late afternoon evening at a close friends house for Christmas dinner and with our adopted grandpa who surprised us with a cake especially made for us. It was a really really nice gesture since he does not have a lot of money. After all the food and friends we went to a movie and slept in the next day. It was wonderful, thanks everyone for the gifts and cards, we love them and we love hearing from everyone stateside! Merry Christmas!

Olivia wanted a Polly pocket for Christmas (I was like, serious?...thats it?) AWESOME!

Mary wanted "a littlest pet shop, and a pink sparkle rainbow pony"