Christmas 2011

Christmas morning we woke the girls up at 6:30 a.m., and they were so excited to see what Santa had brought. Amazingly, everyone was good this year so Santa delivered what they had asked for. Tori got a new American Girl doll and accessory set, Alyssa got a new scooter, Mackenzie got a princess scooter, and Kira got an activity play gym. Mom got some new clothes and Dad got a hardware drawer organizer and a new shelf for the garage. The girls had fun looking through their stockings at the fruit, candy and money they got and then we opened presents from each other and from family members. Christmas is always fun with kids and this year was no exception. This year we had asked the girls to use their own allowance to buy presents for each other. They really got in the giving spirit as they tried to think of what their sisters would like, wrapping the gifts, and trying to keep the gifts a secret. I thought it was particularly special that each of them wanted to have their sisters open their presents first. They would open the present and then give their sister a hug. It warmed my heart to see how excited they were to give the presents they had picked out. Hopefully they understood a little better this year that it is better to give than receive.

After playing with all the toys for a while, we got ready for church and enjoyed a beautiful sacrament program. I love when Christmas is on a Sunday because the chapel is filled with beautiful music that helps us remember the real reason we celebrate this season. After church we enjoyed a yummy turkey dinner which Ben pretty much prepared himself. (What a great Christmas present to me!)

Merry Christmas 2011!