Christmas 2014

You know how the real thing is rarely as perfect as you imagine it will be?  Well that was not the case this Christmas.  It was as close to perfection as it could have been.

Why?  Because everyone was healthy, happy and involved in the festivities.  We felt the Spirit together.  We showed our love for each other by giving thoughtful presents.  We laughed and felt completely content with spending the day together.  My heart skipped a beat when I realized there are only a couple years left to celebrate Christmas in our traditional way as a family.  Then Brevan will go on a mission.  Kid will start going off to college.  Marriages will eventually happen and it will never be the same.  Even if it's a "good different," it will be different.

The D'Arienzo family invited us to attend mass with them at their Catholic church on Christmas Eve.  Anthony played the cello during the ceremony and we enjoyed sharing our love for Christ with our friends.  The kids learned a lot about the Catholic religion and tried not to burn the hymn books during the candlelight ceremony.  We've decided to include a church session in our Christmas Eve from now on, because it helped us feel the Spirit.  

After attending mass, the kids excitedly opened their Christmas Eve gifts . . . new pajamas, a personal ornament and a photo book with the highlights from their year.  Brevan received some epic monkey jammies with ears and a tail. 

This was the first year in a new era because none of our kids were listening for little hooves on the roof.  It was a little sad, but also relieved some stress.  They are all aware that denying a belief in Santa Claus means he no longer brings them presents, so they did their best to proclaim their belief as much as possible.

The kids started a fun tradition when Brevan and Brynlie were little.  They all sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve so they can keep each other company during the longest night of the year.  Brynlie apparently only got 20 minutes of sleep, but the rest of them slept pretty soundly until 7:00 am when we allowed them to come downstairs. 

While they were reading books and chatting in Brynlie's room, Santa arrived.  Brevan got a laptop (part of which he had paid for with his own money), Bryn got several dance items and outfits, Lindsey got a pogo stick and Logan got a Wii U video game console.

I like to play a game with the wrapped presents, which is something I learned from Roy.  Some years I have numbered them, but often I come up with a new system.  This year each present had a Christmas word so each person would have to hunt for their gift after I gave them a definition.

Teenagers are fun.  But that's a post for another day.

Let the fun begin!

Brevan did his best to show his "surprised" look after seeing the laptop he had ordered online by himself after doing months of research.

We always have the kids pass out their gifts before we open the ones from me and Ryan.  I loved the gift Lindsey gave Ryan:  a homemade soap dispenser.  She made it by taking apart a store-bought soap dispenser and super-gluing it on to a mason jar.  Gotta love that kid's creativity!

Besides a lot of clothes, Brynlie received new bedding and decorations for her bedroom.  She wants her room to be transformed into a teenager space with NO pink.  She is obsessed with chevron right now.

Probably my favorite picture from the day.  How cute is this Captain America?!

This blondie received a shiny pink guitar because she and her Daddy are starting lessons.

Lindsey gave Brynlie a "retro" phone that attaches to her cell phone.  Ryan and I laughed when the kids discussed the fun of twirling the cord through your fingers.  I think I did that for hours while chatting on the phone as a teenager.

Logan gave Ryan a case of bottled Diet Coke.  He knows his Daddy well.

Caught in the act!  I had to include this picture for future blackmailing.

Lindsey LOVES to cook and bake.  She is the biggest helper in the kitchen and has quite a few recipes that she can make on her own.  I knew she would love a real chef set for her cooking adventures.

Ryan spoiled me well with a North Face jacket, kitchen essentials, a Bose speaker, and a day at the spa.

The next couple pictures show the reaction every parent is hoping for on Christmas morning!

Lindsey is excited to use her sewing machine, so she and I will take classes together.

Grandma Ellefsen sewed this cute blanket for Logan.

One of the gifts I gave Ryan was this set of framed family pictures for his office.

And the best present of all - I got to hug my sister on Christmas Day!  A couple days earlier, Tiffany had sent me a text saying her family had a layover in Kansas City while flying from Florida to Washington after a Disney vacation.  She didn't want to make us feel obligated to see them, but I thought it was the greatest present I could have received!  After opening presents and throwing on some half-way decent clothes, we all drove to the airport to meet the Porters.  We planned to take them out to lunch during their 3-hour layover, but after driving around for a while, we realized everything was closed because {strangely} all the restaurant workers were home with their families on Christmas!  We had a good laugh after Ryan suggested getting food at the hospital cafeteria, and we headed back to the airport to eat at the food court.

Ryan photo-bombed the first photo taken of me and Tiff, so we had to take a second one.  I then sent a picture to my Mom and Kara to show them how I was spending my day.  It was a fun surprise!

Logan spent much of the time taking selfies of himself on my phone.  Goofball!

One last picture of the whole crew before the Porters got on the plane.  

What a perfect day!  I have to admit that I'm glad to see 2014 coming to an end.  This has not been an easy year, and I'm ready for a new start!