Our Family Christmas Day

Christmas Day began with me up first, as usual and then Chip waking up around 6am! Elijah woke up shortly after that but we “honkered down” in our room because we wanted to wait for Grandmother and Granddad to get there before Elijah went downstairs and Christmas started for our family. So we enjoyed some family time and “breakfast in bed”. Elijah got to eat his yogurt in our bed which was a treat.

Mmmmm….yogurt with Mama!

This little boy loves his dog. We so missed our Bonnie on this morning. She would have been hanging out next to the bed waiting to go downstairs.

Getting in a good tooth brushing before we go down to see what Santa left!

Once Grandmother and Granddad arrived, we headed downstairs and started out morning…….

The first thing Elijah saw was his new chair! He was so excited to have his own chair and hopped right in! Since then, it has been a favorite spot for him to relax.

He was really into opening the presents this year….at least for about two thirds of opening. The first one, he just got excited tearing at the paper.

His very own baby! This will help Mama teach Elijah about being a big brother and what it means to have babies in the house! My hope is that he will take care of his baby when he sees Mama taking care of his brothers.

Elijah has loved his stocking (made by Aunt Merrily) and enjoyed looking at it from afar but this is the first time he was permitted to inspect it up close. And it was full of loot! (Some of which he picked out)

One of Elijah’s stocking stuffers was a toothbrush.  I’ve said it before but this kiddo loves to brush his teeth! We seriously had to hide the toothbrush from him to get him to open more presents! Look at that happy grin!

Hard at work opening his throwback Tickle Me Elmo! It was a hit!

And oh yes, we had an Elmo sandwich holder for the nursery during church and Time Out For Moms.

Chip got a kick out of his underwear that Elijah picked out for him. You see, they had several different designs and I let Elijah choose (knowing full well he would choose the bananas since that is his favorite food. It was a hit and gave us all a giggle.

A few weeks earlier, Papa John had sent me an Ipad Mini but I had been scared to use it much until I got a case. Well Santa brought one! Woohoo!

My boy loved giving his new baby snuggles. He will be such a good big brother!

At this point, Elijah was an expert present opener and helped Granddad with his.

As you will see, the drum/percussion set was a big hit!

Rory and Patrick were not forgotten this Christmas. My face is hard to read but I was very excited about new swaddle blankets for my boys!

The twins also received soft (and organic!) little outfits for their first day earth side.

My little drummer boy (future role in the Christmas pageant???) enjoyed his new drum while trying on his Bulls jersey…..

And Daddy had a matching one!

Santa did not forget Wrigley! He LOVED his bone!

Just love this sweet doggie.

Elijah caught a glimpse of what Santa left in the yard for him so we all put on our coats and headed out!

Elijah LOVED it!

He walked right in and shut the door behind him! He is really good about closing doors.

One of the features Elijah loved the most was the phone! Unfortunately it is cordless so we are taking bets on how long it takes for him to leave it out and it to become a Wrigley toy. I am going to try my best to prevent this from happening.

My little animal lover enjoyed his Noah’s ark!

He wanted to show Granddad his new elephant

Elijah loves to play the guitar. In fact, Chip and I often have to take ours out and let him strum. And now….he has his very own Elijah size guitar!!!

Another guitar lesson with Daddy!

My sweet little musician.

Elijah and Daddy had quite the jam session. Unfortunately Mama was a bit of a bonehead and forgot to turn on the flash! Still, these were too cute not to include!

We totally could be the Partridge Family.

He was actually pretty amazing at keeping a beat! I thought he was going to be a guitar player, but he seems quite naturally talented at the drums. Perhaps he will be a true musician and play it all!

Asking Daddy to play some more.

Checking out Elmo coloring books while Grandmother and Granddad relax.

After present time and a bit of relaxing it was time for lunch! Grandmother had a shrimp creole stuffed turkey breast that she brought over. Um…YUM!!!!!!!

I threw together some favorite sides of mashed potatoes, broccoli and my special whipped carrots! YUM!

After lunch, Elijah practiced his babywearing skilled in his Ergo…just like Mama and Daddy’s! He is going to be a great Daddy one day!

Love the Ergo…another great tool for Mama and Daddy to teach Elijah about taking care of babies.

It was really a great Christmas. We definitely did not get the reason for the season in our house. All day we talked about Jesus and his birthday and I had actually planned on baking a birthday cake with Elijah but we did not get around to that this year. (Which I am still pretty bummed about). But that tradition can start next year. This year we just enjoyed each other, our family and a day of relaxation in celebration of Christ’s birth. It was a great Christmas and we have so much to be grateful for. Not the least of which is our salvation and an amazing little boy that has lit up our life in ways we could never imagine. No Christmas can compare to the two we have had with our Elijah.