Christmas 2009

As quickly as Christmas came, it went away. The yearly dilemma we face full of all the anticipation and weeks of buildup, all to be over within a few short hours. But its so worth it. I think we really hit the mark this year with the presents. Dont you hate it when your kids get a gift and end up playing with it for a week and then get sick of it? Well, not this year! No sir-ee! They are going to enjoy these gifts for a while. But lets back up a bit.

This year, I decided to be ambitious and make all the kids pajama's. A few years ago, their aunt made them some nightgowns that they loved so much, that they wore them until they were rags. I wanted them to have that again, and I thought "Hey, it couldnt be that hard to make a nightgown, right?". Well, I never could have done it if it hadnt been for a patient and kind friend who walked me through the whole process and taught me how to read the patterns. I never knew that clothing patterns spoke such a different language! I have only sewed one other item of clothing in my life and it was long ago, so I didnt remember much. So thanks to her, they all got the night gowns (with the exception of Zack) that they all love! They were a huge hit, and they wore them all Christmas day.

In addition to opening their beloved pajamas on Christmas Eve, we also did a re-enactment of the Christmas story. The stars this year were as follows:

Madison-Mary

Zack-Joseph, Shepherd

Katelin-Angel

Alissa-Wise Woman

Ryan-Donkey (again), Wise Man

Heather-Shepherd

Brylee-Sheep

Madison even performed the whole giving birth process and Zack delivered. Boy, was that easy!

Christmas Eve night was the longest night in Christmas history thus far. The kids just did not want to sleep! 3 of them ended up in our room, and I was up almost all night with Brylee. She must have sensed all the excitement. Katelin even got up around midnight while we were still up, and got upset with us because we weren't in bed yet and Santa couldnt come until we were sleeping. Ryan gave her the whole, "Oh, its only been a few minutes since you went to bed, so its okay. Go back to sleep." And she was like "Really? It feels like Ive been asleep for hours!" Silly girl. Needless to say, we were pretty tired all of Christmas Day. But who can sleep on Christmas? We were too busy opening, assembling, cooking, and cleaning up small pieces of everything off the floor so Brylee didnt eat them; to catch up on any sleep. Good thing we had Saturday to sleep in...oh wait, our kids dont sleep in-they wake up at 5:30. The good side to that is that we got out early to catch the after Christmas clearances, and I got another tree for next year, along with some more decorations. How much longer until it comes again?

So back to the presents! Along with the kids getting exactly what they wished for this year, I think some of the best gifts were those that the kids had hand made. Katelin and Alissa worked together to create a very well written story about a girl and a snowman that was given to Ryan and I. Alissa also made an animal book for Katelin that was very cute. Madi made a cute sparkly snowman ornament in activity days for Ryan which we love, and a necklace, ear rings and bracelet for me. Alissa painted a picture frame in preschool, and Katelin also made an ornament in school. I think they were by far the most cherished and loved them all and the idea of them working to create something special for us.

So thats about it, for the short story anyways. Enjoy the slide show which enhances the Taylor Christmas story further! We hope your Christmas was happy too!