Merry Christmas!

Jared and I told our kids they could not wake up before 7:00 Christmas morning. About 6:55, I could hear them all in our doorway, whispering. They sat there and waited til our clock showed 7:00 and then shouted out, "It's Christmas!!!"

Santa puts up a barricade so the kids can't sneak downstairs to peak. The kids excitedly made their way through chairs and boxes covered by blankets and wrapping paper and raced down the stairs.

I'm sure my kids would love it if we let them all just unwrap everything all at once, but I love watching them open each gift, one by one.

I love watching the look on all of their faces as they take turn opening gifts.

This doll made Emma's day!

Here we are headed off to Grandma's house for dinner.

I wish I would have taken a picture of everyone in their Sunday best, but they changed so quickly once we got home, anxious to get back to their Christmas toys and gadgets. I have mixed feelings about Christmas falling on Sunday. It was really neat to go to church, sing Christmas music, and feel of the Spirit there on Christmas day; after all, we are celebrating the Savior's birth. It was the dressing up and leaving by 10:00 Christmas morning that was hard.

It all worked out though and we had a lovely day.

We had a fancy Christmas dinner with the McInelly Family at Jared's parents house. Turkey, stuffing, rolls, and all the fixin's. It was delicious and all prepared by my mother-in-law which was a wonderful treat!

At bedtime, I found my entire family snuggled up with dad admiring his new ipad.

Everyone agreed that this was one of our favorite Christmases. Although, I think we say that every year!

And the day after Christmas was lovely too... We spent the whole day relaxing, and playing together, working on projects and playing with new stuff. The kids ran back and forth with their neighbor friends enjoying their new toys. It was just what we all needed.