Christmas Day

Christmas morning the kids actually slept until 7:30- pretty amazing seeing as how Ashlyn usually wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00 on normal days.  We didn't complain!  Ashlyn was sure she heard Santa in the night, and dad even found a few bits of carrots on the front porch from the reindeer. 

The stockings were stuffed with slinky toys, play dough and bubble gum- all a huge hit!

Ashlyn couldn't stick with one thing more than 30 seconds she wanted to be on to the next.  Tanner on the otherhand wanted to just play with whatever he opened.

Ashlyn got her much anticipated Leapster!

And it didn't take her long to figure out how to play it!

Ashlyn loves shopping for Brad and I.  She thinks through things and tries to pick out just the right gift.  She even earns her own money to go shopping with.  She picked out purple fuzzy slipper socks for me with a sparkley heart on them!  And a pair of leather slippers for Brad that he can wear outside.

When Tanner opened his trains he picked them right up and took them to his room.  He was so funny, he wasn't going to let anyone else claim those- they were HIS!

We finally convinced him to bring them out of his room so we could help him set them up to play with. He was a riot watching drive that train.

Tanner picked out a gift for dad too- a tin of nuts (cashews).  He recogized them at the store and knew his dad loved them!

We stayed at home and played all morning with their new toys and then headed to Grandma and Grandpa Gunnell's for Christmas lunch.  Christmas was different this year at the Gunnells because Grandpa was in the hospital and couldn't be with us.  He has always had problems with his heart, but the last 6 months they have gotten worse.  He went to get a second opinion from a new Cardiologist on the 22nd, and the doctor admitted him to the hospital right away for additional testing.  The test results weren't good, he had major blockage in a main artery to his heart and several more smaller ones.  So they kept him in the hospital fearing he would have a heart attack if he left.  He then had Tripple Bypass Surgery a few days after Christmas. It was hard to not have him around for Christmas, but this surgery will keep him around longer. The kids hated not being able to see him, they didn't allow kids in the hospital so they would call him and sing Christmas songs to him.  Grandma Gunnell was a trooper and still hosted Christmas lunch and handed out all the presents to everyone.   

Ashlyn's cousins Spencer and Kelsey were intrigued with her new Leapster, and Ashlyn was all about showing them how SHE could play it.

Lucky for us our parents live so close to each other so it is easy to always visit both families.

Tanner got his own light sword and was immediately fighting his cousins and wacking people with it!

Ashlyn sporting her new ear warmers wearing her cousin Sam's roller skates.

It was a great Christmas and we are SO blessed.  I enjoyed more than ever sitting back and watching the complete JOY on my kids faces.  They loved getting presents, but they also found so much joy in giving them too.