Christmas!

This year was the first Christmas we were unable to be together with family. While it was totally different than Christmases in the past, it was so wonderful in its own way. We did still keep some Christmas traditions though. Chris was sweet and made the traditional coffee cake we enjoy every Christmas morning. He also made a delicious german chocolate cheesecake and a delicious Christmas dinner. Since I was still recovering from the c-section, I wasn't able to help at all. He rocks!

We woke up in our own home Christmas morning to see that Santa had come. Claire was so excited to see all the presents, her Santa presents, and her stocking. It was nice to go through the day at our own pace. When Claire opened a book, she wanted it read to her. When she opened a toy, she wanted to play with it. About a quarter of the way unwrapping presents, Claire was so excited about her Snow White movie that she wanted to watch it right then. We decided there was no reason why not so let her. In fact, we didn't finish unwrapping the presents until 7PM Christmas night. It was kind of crazy for just 3.5 people, but I love that Claire wanted to enjoy her presents instead of ripping through them. We also took a nice family nap in the afternoon. It was an awesome day, and so cozy to be in our own home with just our little family. While we really missed being with our family, there was something special about just spending Christmas as just our little family.

Here are some of the highlights of the day.

Our tree Christmas morning right before Claire saw everything in its glory. :)

Claire digging into her stocking. Santa was good to her. :)

Maddie with her stocking. She's so darn cute. :)

Claire with her Santa gifts. She asked Santa (the many times she saw him) for red slippers (shoes) like her Minnie Mouse (with the black tights.) She was so excited, she put it on OVER her pajama (or dajamas as she says) bottoms. She also got that cute puppy she sometimes likes to use as a pillow. :)

The best 2 Christmas gifts EVER. Our sweet little girls - both born the same week as Christmas. In fact, as I held Maddie on Christmas, I was thinking about what I want most in life. I was brought to tears having her as my Christmas gift this year. She was very much wanted, and I couldn't be happier. We are very blessed.

When I asked Claire what she thought her daddy would like for Christmas, she came up with a very insightful, honest answer - a motorcycle. You see, Chris once had one and would like one again, but I fear for his safety and really don't want him to have one. Unfortunately, I have a little girl who loves them as well. She knows that her daddy likes them too, so I was impressed with her answer. Since I didn't have the money (or desire) to get a motorcycle, we opted for the toy version. When we picked one out for daddy, Claire wanted one too so they could play together. So, they are playing with their new motorcycles here. (I wrapped her's even though she picked it out. She soon forgot about it.) I love her laughing smile here. :)

Claire is multi-tasking. She really loved the ring pops she got in her stocking and didn't want to let it go while opening the soft microfiber princess blanket we got her for her bed.

Chris with his Shen Santoku knife I got him. I wrestled with getting it for him since it took half of my budget, but I'm so glad I did. He LOVES it and uses it all the time with his chef's coat I made. (See he previous post for the chef's coat, Claire's apron, and 2 chef hats I made them.)

I had forgotten how much newborns sleep. So sleepy and so sweet. :)

When we were finally done opening presents, we had a family movie night watching our new Kung Fu Panda 2 movie. :) (I wasn't on the floor with them obvoiusly, but they looked cozy!)