Merry Christmas!

Actually, before we get to Christmas, let's talk Christmas Eve. After a wonderful devotional at the church, and driving around to see the lights, we finally wrestled the girls into bed and pulled out all the gifts. Fortunately, they were all wrapped, and it didn't take long to artfully arrange them. There was however, the small detail of putting together the boat BJ and Jeanne had gifted the girls. 

Yeah... some assembly (and sanity) required. We got through it though. While we stuffed the stockings by the fireplace, we watched Better Off Dead. Initally Brent didn't feel that it was a Christmas movie, but watching the parents wear their aardvark and deer coats, he relented that it really was. "Everyone's going to be wearing this!" Love that movie!

As the girls woke up, they gathered on our bed. Brent made his way downstairs and prepped breakfast. When it was time, he rang the bell signaling to the girls they could finally come downstairs...

...and have their picture taken. Nothing else was going to happen until I had perfect smiles. Once that was done, they could peak into the living room at the spoils.

On to the kitchen where again, they could just peak at their stockings in the family room. I have to say, as an adult making everything drag out is a lot more fun than when you are a kid!

Liesel ate her breakfast burrito faster than I've ever seen before. Her sisters soon followed suit, aside from Sydney who didn't quite grasp the rush.

No one was allowed to get into their stocking until everyone was finished. So they waited... and waited... and waited for the littlest sister.

Finally it was time! They dug their little hands into their stockings finding treasure after treasure- gleefully expressing their surprise and happiness. The biggest hit? Shopkins.

Could Gita look anymore triumphant raising that little package so high above her head?

 With stockings emptied, it was on to the gifts under the Christmas tree in the living room. For the first time, the girls were able to see everything under the tree:

Ireland has asked for a dollhouse two years in a row and I was able to find a way to make it work. It's not fully decorated, so like our real home, it will take some time to paint it and fill it so it's perfectly homey. Ireland didn't seem to mind. In fact, it was her "dream". Watching that video makes me smile every time.

Meanwhile, Gita was enchanted with the pirate ship that was hers to command (and to color).

Liesel and Ireland received wireless headphones for the Pilot so now all the girls have a pair (and Mom has more peace and quiet while driving!).

I'd taken each of the girls to the dollar store to pick out gifts for each other. The highlight of the day for me personally was seeing them so excited to give those away and to thank each other.

Another sister gift. Another moment of selflessness on a day of indulgence. Love it.

This superhero cape made and given by Whitney fit Brigitta's personality to a T.

Remember when Katrina visited and she won over Sydney with the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies? Grandma Nielsen got a package just for her, which she immediately began to devour. She had a death grip on that package.

Gita finally received her piggy bank (usually our 3-year-old gift, but backordered for a long, long, long time).

We are particularly grateful for the hats and mittens which are desperately needed out here in Chi-beria!

Then there were the annual Pringles. Christmas=Pringles. Another highlight of the day was getting all the Pringle pictures from the Nielsen families around the country.

As with last year, we bought a new movie (courtesy of BJ and Jeanne this year!). While the girls settled in to watch Inside Out, Brent and I put the house back into order. For the rest of the day, we talked with family, ate Christmas candy and hung out in our pajamas. It was marvelous. These magical Christmases with tiny tots are numbered, and I'm glad we soaked this one up.