Christmas

Christmas morning was beautiful. It was a little on the early side, before our usual weekend morning wake-up time from the kids, but Matthew and Libby arrived with, "Here's the Bouck!" ...and, "We brought our Bibles!"

So, into bed they climbed, and we read different kids' Bible versions of the birth of Jesus.

After that, I went downstairs to prep the lights on the tree, get the camera ready, etc. The kids were so patient!

And a lovely sight awaited them, too.

Libby received the microscope that she asked Santa for, and Matthew got his train music box. Both received their Paw Patrol pj's -- and frankly, it was a big Paw Patrol Christmas. PP items included an automated dog, a game, a DVD, toothbrush and bathtub paints and crayons, coloring books and art supplies, and more.

They got tickets for a visit to the Georgia Aquarium, and to Monster Jam in March!

Matthew found his bike after a bit. Now, he says that it was his favorite gift!

He also got a special trolley music box from Mama and Daddy, and he loved setting up the music boxes in a row, just like a train.

Libby quickly asked if she could use her new Frozen lunch box when she returns to school, as her longtime ladybug one is showing some signs of wear after five years of use.

Commissioner also got her a gift: a 300-piece Alice in Wonderland puzzle in a case like a book, and you can also see that Santa brought them both miniature Christmas trees with lights and a star topper for their bedrooms.

We received many special gifts, including those Libby wrapped herself after coloring the wrapping paper herself, too. Matthew made us this sweet gift at school that we will treasure.

Commissioner got a cute new "Max" toy from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," which was hand-selected by Libby, and she loves it.

Michael got some clothing as well, including this great t-shirt from the kids for Atlanta's new professional soccer team!

And the kids were happy to model some of their new clothes from Santa, too.

All-in-all, the Santa/parent gifts were a hit!

Before the grandparents came over, we nit-picked hair and were all in the clear again. Then, they arrived with many gifts in-tow, and before Mimi and Diddy arrived, everyone got to do a little playing outside with the kids' new lightweight Dinosaur planes they put together. Gotta love those small stocking gifts that are instant fun.

The grandparents were so sweet to get the kids -- and us -- so many nice gifts. And, because we are so fortunate, they shopped together and went in together for almost all of the gifts, too! The first big one, past the stocking fun, was big new suitcases for the kids!

Of course, the reactions were awesome. Our favorite comments from Matthew were along the lines of, "This is the best gift I ever wanted!" and "I've wanted this my whole life," before he even finished unwrapping said item.

The sweeties also got some personal gifts like a trip to the Zoo and a trip to hear the brass instruments at the Atlanta Symphony for Matthew.

Matthew and Libby also made us beautiful pine cone ornaments with Gigi's oversight, and painted ornaments with their pictures with Mimi's guidance.

The did the placement of snowflake designs themselves!

The grandparents received their usual special calendars, too. They seemed pleased!

This year, I also managed to actually get dinner on the table at a reasonable time AND have all of the chicken fried before we had to start eating. It was also... the most delicious fried chicken I've ever made. I was seriously proud of this labor of love this year.

Libby, Gigi and Mimi designed our place settings, and the kids made individually-wrapped treats for each of us!

The whole dinner was delicious, as always. And breakfast on Monday morning was awesome, too. Andrea scratch-made cinnamon rolls for us, but we ate them too fast for me to get a picture!

Mmm, the wine in that pic is calling my name right now!

We got to enjoy plenty of leftovers actually, including the rolls, but boy was it nice to have such yummy food for several meals.

The kids finally hit the sack in their new Paw Patrol jammies, and the parents stayed up to sort-of watch "Die Hard" for our selection this year. Poor Michael... there were definitely many distractions for this one.

Libby even stayed on the floor this year so Gigi could have a decent place to sleep.

It was a wonderful Christmas for all... and my brand-new Roomba has been named, "Lily" by Libby and seen a LOT of action since her arrival at her new home. She's great at encouraging us to pick up before we leave so she can do her job! Merry Christmas to all.