Am I the only one who wishes it was still the holiday season? With a worldwide pandemic going on, I miss the peace and joy that Christmas brings. I’m once again feeling grateful that I’m only just catching up on these posts now, because reliving these moments with my family is the best gift.

So, on Christmas Eve, Mommy and Daddy were up very late when Santa finally decided to deliver some gifts.I thought this might be the year the girls would figure out that they could try to get us up early on Christmas morning, but to my surprise, everyone slept in until 8:15! Kaya did wake Daddy up in the middle of the night at some point to ask how many hours she had left to wait, though. Seeing these faces and hearing their squeals of excitement is one of the best moments for me.Matching jammies courtesy of Grandma Debbie.Let the opening begin!Kaya is definitely the most openly excited about everything, and she “ooos” and “awwws” her whole way through the gift-opening process. I love her enthusiasm and how she just overflows with joy at the smallest of things. Pomsies for everyone! We’re still singing their “meow meow” song just about every day.
I had to put this one in here because it’s just too funny. Kaya made Nella a “Calico Critters car” out of a cardboard box, but when Nella opened it, all she saw was… a plain box. She was so confused and disappointed because this was the first thing she had opened. Her face was priceless, though.Calico Critters chipmunk family for Kaelyn!The Maple Cat family for Kaya!Water WOW and Color Wonder books!Hei Hei is Nellie’s favorite.Along with Elmo! This was Nella’s favorite gift- Daniel Tiger family figurines!Magic Treehouse books for Kaya!Some new clothes for everyone. Nella was very serious here.Games to share.Eve was giving Daddy high fives. Cutest. thing. ever.Play-doh noodle maker! Nella’s big gift was this Calico Critters set!Kaelyn’s was this camper for her Critters! She now drives them on adventures all over the house. The face you make when you can’t believe you got the biggest thing on your list!Kaya loves her treehouse.Kaya also made a “Minnie Mouse Look and Find” book for Kaelyn, which was so sweet. She made a heart picture for Daddy and a cute “I love you Mommy” note for me. Eve got her own My Little Pony!And a Pomsie, too. Daddy got his Star Wars game!Michael snapped this one without me knowing… whew. The opening aftermath! At first glance, all I saw was the huge mess… but I can see now how much fun we were all having, too.Scout was there, too! We love our puppy.I made some homemade reindeer donuts for breakfast.This is happiness right here. Everyone was a fan.We spent the day playing with everything. The family games were especially fun. Eve really loved coloring.It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so while Nella and Eve took naps, Michael got the last gift (and biggest surprise) ready. Kaelyn had been asking for a new bike for ages, but she’d still just been riding the tiny tricycle we have. He put her new bike (and Kaya’s) up in the front yard. When she walked out and saw it, she was ecstatic!
She saw the basket on the front and immediately ran inside to get her Dalmatian to ride in it. Kaya was happy, too, because we told her we had ordered a basket for her bike, and it was due to come in the mail any day.Practicing with the pedals and brakes takes some time!One very happy kid.
We wrapped up a perfect day with the best turkey I’ve ever made. Kaya and Kaelyn even tried mashed potatoes and gravy for the first time and loved it! These smiling faces are the very best gift I could ever have. Creating the holiday “magic” isn’t easy, but for them, it is worth it.We sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus and had some chocolate cake. It’s such a simple tradition, but it always touches my heart in a special way.

Until next year (247 days to go!)!