Okay, it wasn't present opening time. It was flooded basement time. Brandon had to move the furniture out of Kate's room, rip up the carpet and pad, and then go outside and bail buckets of melted snow out of the window well. (Thanks hun, for letting the rest of us sleep through all that.) Kate did wake up but was allowed a 30 second view of the goods Santa brought. It was enough time for her to count up how many each person had and figure out which box might contain her new hot pink cell-phone...
Present-opening actually began when the sun came up. (What a blessing when you can make it that late in the day huh?!) There were clothes, and shoes, stockings full of treats and jewels. The box that was supposed to contain a cell phone? Flannel sheets.
When all the presents were opened from under the tree, I observed out loud that none of them were from Santa? We knew he must have come because he ate the cookies and left stockings?! Curious. Dad chimed in that the only reason there wouldn't be presents from Santa is if someone didn't believe in him....everyone's eyes went immediately to Kate.
OR maybe Santa put the presents somewhere else??! The girls immediately went tearing through the house from top to bottom. I had to remind them of the garage because there they were. Three brand new girl bikes all in a row.
A derby started outside on the street. Our girls with their bikes racing against the neighbor girls with their new skates.
Between riding bikes and playing Wii I'd say the kids had a pretty fit Christmas!
I on the other hand, made caramel sticky buns and ate them. Brandon took a nap.
Cannon slept through all the present opening. So when he did wake up it was like having his own special Christmas. He spent a day of bliss roaming from his new ride 'em cowboy horse to his new collection of Cars. He packed them around all day, to dinner, to the bathroom, upstairs, downstairs. He had to recruit help each time because that is sure more than he can carry!
We spent a couple of days before in Salt Lake City! Great place to be at Christmas even if the snow was mysteriously all melted away. We saw and loved the movie Tangled, went out to eat, visited my Dad in the hospital (he's there with pneumonia but recovering well.) Also got to spend time with my mom and played games with family. We shopped at Barnes and Noble, which Adrie declared, "The BEST BOOK STORE EVER!!!" Was it the enormous amount of fun books , the escalators, or both? Brandon picked a book called, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living!" He explained it was to help some of his clients but I think he means to highlight the best parts and pass it on to me. As for me, I couldn't decide out of the Field Guide to Birds or Atlas of the Human Body. I ended up with a map of the world.
Adrie got a book that came with a necklace, Cannon got one that came with trains. Maybe my map should have come with a plane ticket. Brynn and Kate chose to share a boxed set of "Candy Apple Girls" chapter books. Thanks to Grandma and
Grandpa for the wonderful gift of book shopping!