Oh What a Christmas!

Wow!  What a Christmas! Be prepared for a long post for this one!

I am a little bummed because I am in the process of trying to pass a kidney stone (and have been for a few days), so I missed Christmas in Cherokee with Jeff's family.  :(  An hour there and an hour back in the car is risky business when it comes to these stupid stones.  Anyhow, because I missed that Christmas, I also have no photos from the celebration, but the boys had a blast and got spoiled!  Their favorite gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Duvall are their MP3 players (both boys got these), and Logan loves his new catcher's mitt for baseball, while Landon's favorite is his Green Bay Packers jersey!  Another highlight for the boys from their Duvall Christmas, also, was playing the game Spoons, for which Grandma Duvall is always prepared with prizes for the winner of each round!  What fun!

Christmas Eve was spent with a small part of the Umscheid extended family.  My Aunt Debbie and Uncle Kelly came back to Milford for a few days, so we went to their hotel for pizza and swimming!  Also there was my Aunt Donna, her fiance Ryan, and my cousin Dallas, along with my mom and dad.  My brother Ben and his family stopped by for a few minutes as well.  The boys walked away from that Christmas with some AWESOME Hawkeye bottles with lights inside, which look pretty cool in their Hawkeye rooms!  Aunt Donna always gives such awesome, thoughtful gifts!

After a busy day, we went home to get ready for Santa Claus to come to our house!  The boys opened their Christmas Eve presents of pajama pants, slippper socks, Christmas movies, and other odds and ends, then we watched the movie, A Christmas Story, set out milk and cookies, read "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and went off to bed dreaming about what Santa might leave at our house!  Logan left a note for Santa that said, "Dear Santa, I know I don't always do what I'm supposed to do, but I am really trying!  I will work more on that!  I will like anything you leave for me!  Love, Logan"  Ha!  Too cute!

Christmas morning was proof that the boys made Santa's nice list!  Thank goodness Santa was a little lenient this year so the boys could make it on that list!  :)  The boys had both wished for flat screen tvs for their bedrooms, and Santa was nice enough to give them those!  Santa even brought a tv for Jeff and I to put in our bedroom, along with some electric blankets!  Wow!

Here are a few pictures from Christmas morning.

After opening all of our presents, we took most of the rest of the day to just enjoy our gifts, enjoy each other, and relax!  

By late afternoon, it was time to go to our last Christmas of the season at Grandpa and Grandma Umscheid's house!  Not only do the boys enjoy their time with Grandpa and Grandma Umscheid, but they also love to spend time with their cousins, Eli and Lennon, and of course Uncle Ben and Aunt Alyssa, too!  Once again, the boys got WAY too spoiled, but their very favorite gift, probably over all other gifts, was the air hockey table from Grandpa and Grandma!  They also really love the Hawkeye fleece blankets, and the Believe bells (from the movie Polar Express) from "Santa!"  Eli was fun to watch this year too, as he is finally figuring out the whole idea of presents and the excitement of Christmas!  Here are some snapshots from our Umscheid Christmas!

And here is what baby Lennon thought about the whole celebration...In a few years, she will have all sorts of fun, too!

I am sad that Christmas is over.  We spend days, weeks, and sometimes months preparing for this holiday, and then it's over in just a few short days.  But, my most favorite part is not the gifts, or the preparations, but time spent with loved ones.  My kids had way too many gifts to open once again this year, but I feel so blessed that God provides so much for our family!  My greatest blessings from God are my children and my and Jeff's families!  

Merry Christmas to you all, and may your 2014 be one of your best years yet!