CHRISTMAS MORNING!
Our kids were up at 4:30 in the morning!!! We sent them back to bed. We can still use the "we're not going to wake up the baby" excuse. But it was 6 when we were headed down to see if Santa remembered the Soulier family.
He sure did!
Stockings were unloaded in a flash with squeals and laughter. It was precious.
Our kids definitely were good this year, and it was a BIG year for us!
It was wonderful to have our own Christmas in our own house!
This is the 3rd book in a series Ellie has been dying to finish.
Legos in any size shape or form are all it takes to make this boy grin.
Coloring for Sterling! He still will color for hours.
Hmm....what did you get Dad?
Brenna loved Christmas! She has really enjoyed having new things to drool all over.
We hadn't even opened gifts from each other and Ryan was putting together the Lego set that Santa brought.
Everyone in our family gets their own wrapping paper so we don't have to put "to and from" on anything.
My favorite part of Christmas is when the kids give gifts to each other. This year they each had a date with Mom and $30 dollars to spend. It was fun helping them pick things out. Sterling and Ellie went in together and got everyone mugs with our names on them.
Ryan picked out this Minnie Mouse ball for Brenna.
He got "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" toys for Trevor to play with his pirate ship.
Love Christmas hugs!
Ryan is a very thoughtful gifter, and he got Ellie a girl lego set, and a small puppy for her dolls because he knows she wanted one from the American Girl magazine.
He also made me a special ornament at school using a lightbulb. He was super excited about it.
Trevor got Sterling a "Murphy" doll and Brenna the rabbit she's devouring in the picture below.
He got Ryan a lego car that can be built 3 different ways.
He was teasing me because I shopped with him and I knew what he got for me...it's a journal in my new favorite color, dark teal. Good taste, Trevor! ;)
Trevor got Ellie a doodle book, she's a creative artist and LOVES doodling.
The kids and I had fun working up some surprises for Dad. We got him some bird feeders and a Northern California bird watching book.
After gifts to each other we took turns opening the gifts from Mom and Dad. Everyone took turns starting from the youngest up. We give our kids about four gifts each; "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read." The each got some great books and XBOX kinect games. We just took pictures of the BIG gift that each of them asked for. Sterling wanted a "Mater car."
Trevor wanted a remote control car. Dad picked this one out. (Tim the tool man grunt)
Love the story these pictures tell...
The Great Devour Ninjago Set!!!
His biggest Lego set yet....we'll see how long this keeps him entertained.
I have wanted a Cast Iron Skillet for a long time. I thought our family was big, so I ordered the larger one...it's LARGE! I laughed when it came in the mail. It's great! We can feed our family and yours, want to come over for omelets?
Another great picture story on Ellie...
We wrapped her small gift in several different boxes so it looked a lot bigger than it was.
An IPOD Touch!!!
I had been teasing Ellie that I was getting her Hot pink, Dora the Explorer Roller Blades for Christmas. She had no idea her dream of dreams would come true...we got her good. :)
Nice shoes you picked out for yourself, honey.
They'll be perfect for the TREADMILL that you didn't know about!!
Ryan and I picked up and hauled this Treadmill from a Craigslist sale and successfully hid it under blankets in the garage! It was a fun surprise, and something Rob has wanted for a long time. :)
Ellie with her new best friend.
Santa brought Trevor a remote control helicopter...and Rob has enjoyed it as much as Trevor has. It works indoors as well as out, so we've learned to duck when we hear a buzzing sound!
Sterling really enjoyed his new toys. Shake N' Go cars and a hammer set the makes shapes. 
He has spent hours with his new "tools."
Ryan helped Ellie set up her girl Legos. She use to complain about him spending so much time playing Legos, but then one funny day she decided she liked them too and now it's a joke. I say, "Ellie come clean up your Legos, please!"
We let everyone enjoy their stuff for a while.
Then Rob said, "I need my jacket, Ryan will you go get my jacket, please?" He found another huge present in the closet! We told them this year we had a family gift as well. They all opened the present and it was filled with soccer balls, basketballs, sidewalk chalk, etc. They were excited and we said, "Let's go play in our new backyard!"
Everyone grabbed shoes and ran outside to find a new basketball hoop, soccer goals, a sand table and Plasma cars!
They said we have the "best backyard ever" now!
We loved talking on the phone and skyping with family throughout the rest of the day!
Thank you for your thoughtful gifts! We even got to talk with and hear aunt Jeni from her mission in Japan! She is doing a great work, and it was wonderful to hear from her.
It was a magical, special Christmas!
Our first in our new house, and one we will always remember.
Merry Christmas 2012!!
