And true to his nature, Jason was up first on Christmas morning and got to bask in the glow of the Christmas lights as he waited for the rest of his siblings to appear....
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| Jason in the glow of the tree |
This mama got five hours of interrupted sleep, but at least the Yule Kaga turned out.
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| Jason's stocking is bigger than he is! |
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| A cute little gift under the tree |
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| Ian and Shane were the first up (I think they set their alarm) |
When the kids were all awake and ready to unwrap their gifts, I had them start with the presents that contained clothes. They all looked up disappointed. "Why did we have to start with these?" one asked. Shane, wise beyond his years, told them that it was so we could get the bad presents out of the way first and not have to end with them.
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| Fiona was so excited to get this jewelry box. It was just what she wanted! |
They each had one practical clothing item from us, a fun present from their grandparents, and a few fun things from Santa. The older girls each got a lockable trunk so that Lula would stop stealing their precious things.
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| Cow! |
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| He got his "coal!" |
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| Genevieve and her handmade gifts |
Ian had a great idea for a sibling secret Santa gift exchange. The five older kids participated. The rules were 1) Don't tell who you have 2) Make the gift yourself 3) No white elephants. Ian wove a mat and cleaned up an old horseshoe for Evie. Shane gave Daniel a Pokemon poster and a few cards, so he didn't exactly make Daniel anything. Genevieve made Shane a cool ornament that had a shark inside that could swim around inside. Fiona repotted Ian's cactus and added two more cacti for company. Danial laboriously sewed an ornament and embroidered an F for Fiona (with my help). This activity was my favorite part of Christmas this year.
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| Lula gets her own chapstick. Hopefully she will stop stealing her sisters'. |
Ian also made a present for every person in the family. He was so thoughtful. I got a key chain, especially for my new set of work keys! (why yes, I got a job)
A lot of kids make a lot of mess! I think we found just the right balance between granting wishes and not going overboard this year. It did feel like WalMart barfed all over my room for awhile though.
And when it was all over, all I wanted was a nap....
