T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring...until 7:00 AM. I was super impressed that our kids stayed quiet and asleep until then, it was nice. Once Ryker came quietly knocking at our door at 7 all the girls got up and came into our room to open their stockings. Such a fun tradition! Kenedy was woken up and acted all put out about that but she got over herself...eventually. Everyone had fun seeing what was inside their stockings and really liked it all.
We always have the kids wait on the stairs while we go down and get ourselves ready for the picture taking. They had an extra long wait while we all waited for Kenedy to finish curling her hair, seriously. Finally we got tired of waiting and I let the three kids come down.
Thanks to great deals and ebay I was able to get the girls some things for their American Girl dolls. Rylee really wanted Caroline's Cow and she got that plus the mini doll and some accessories.
I managed to find Sage's riding outfit at a good price on ebay for Avynlea.
Pretty sure he was happier about these books then the picture portrays.
Kefford found Kenedy a new phone case which had her favorite animal on it.
A new DS game
and speakers for her phone
Rylee has been wanting some new boots for a while and described exactly what she wanted them to look like. She was so super excited to open the package and find her perfect boots!
My Mom sent us some new pyrex bakeware which I was really excited about plus a wisemen plaque for our Christmas decor. She also sent the kids some money and yummy popcorn.
We opened out secret person gifts from my family.
Alec had Ryker and he gave him a mine craft spider stuffy and a mine craft poster. Ryker had Anita and he picked out a giraffe mama and baby ring for her.
Joshua had Avynlea and he sent her a pair of chameleon goggles that lets you see behind you and the game "Exploding Kittens". Avynlea had Camryn and she sewed and cut a My Little Pony blanket for her.
Ben had Rylee and he gave her the cutest Apron for her and a matching one for her doll. Rylee had Heather and she sent her a Sloth ring.
Dillon had Kefford and he gave him some cool batman basketball shorts. Kefford had JayLynn and she was given a playdoh set and a Monster High Doll.
Alyssa had Kenedy and she sent her a really cute hat and scarf. Kenedy had Erin and she gave her an adorable Minnie Mouse Umbrella.
Stephanie had me and gave me a sparkly headband, earrings, bracelets and a cute scarf. Fancy!
I had Ben and I made him a Gryffendor cloak. I got the idea and was really excited about it but then after buying the material I started to have doubts about whether he would like it or think it was dumb. It was too late by them so I made it and hoped for the best.
Emily sent me this picture of Ben after he opened his gift and said he LOVED it! I was so happy.
Kefford and I decided to just get each other a picture of the Los Angeles Temple for Christmas. We have never had a picture of the Temple we were sealed in because I have never been able to find one we liked. While in Utah this summer I found one at the BYU bookstore that was perfect. Over thanksgiving Kefford and I were able to get it for 20% off thanks to black friday deals.
Because we got the picture I was not really expecting anything else. When we came downstairs that morning I was surprised to see a rather large gift under the tree that was not familiar to me. I wondered what it was but did not worry about it too much just enjoyed watching everyone open their gifts. Kefford did surprise me with some small gifts which was fun and I loved. Towards the end this big unknown gift was brought over to me to open and when I took off the wrapping I found the suitcase I have been wanting for so long. I was so surprised and excited! I had given up on getting this a long time ago and can't believe Kefford got it and was able to surprise me with it! I love surprises and I love presents, it was perfect! Now I need someplace to go :)
After we were done opening presents Rylee helped me in the kitchen with making breakfast and was able to start putting her apron to good use.
Joshua got the game he sent Avynlea for Christmas and sent her a picture of him with his game. Avynlea wanted to replicate his picture and send it to him.
I had Kefford help me hang our new picture and after rearranging some things on the piano I love how it looks!
After our fun Christmas morning we headed out to the Farm to spend time with Keffords family. We all got new Peterson Farms sweatshirts which we love and our stocking box filled with fun foods and odds and ends. That evening, Gwens family, my family and Whitneys family went down to the church to play dodge ball.
We had a really fun Christmas and enjoyed spending time with each other and family