Christmas!

So we conducted Christmas differently this year... Instead of crazy madness insane presents, we had a theme.  This year the girls got 4 specific gifts (which greatly helped Santa plan and shop... and when that person got the gift in the category, that person was done.  Check mark.  Done.)  The 4 categories (which I totally stole from my friend, thanks TARA!) are: something you want, something you need, something you wear, and something you read.

We added 2 additional gifts also, one gift from Mom and Dad and one gift was a Secret Sister present.

*The Secret Sister gift was brilliant.  Matthew took Kacey and Kloey.  I took Kylie and Kadyn.  And one evening, we hit 2 different Targets.  Kylie had Kacey, and vice versa.  And Kadyn had Kloey and vice versa.  So we shopped, and it was really fun to see what the girls picked out for eachother and to take less focus on the "gimmies" and more focus on giving to someone else.  I think they really enjoyed it, and we'll definitely be doing that again next year.

 On Christmas Eve, we did some major baking... as always.  This year we had brownies, spice cookies (iced and decorated by the munchkins), pumpkin bread, peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss, and...... something else, I can't remember.... So that tuckered us out and it only filled our morning.  We had our mandatory Chinese dinner... although we were so anxious, it was really lunch.  I'm really impressed that the girls have their specific Chinese dishes that they'll eat... it was hot and good, and I have no pictures... but our table was full of food and egg rolls and won tons (love those!)!!!  We finished putting our Christmas gifts to our friends together, and we headed out in the blistering cold nighttime to deliver gifts.  (It's freezing here).  We had worked up quite the appetite, and shamefully I say... that we hit Taco Bell on Christmas Eve in our late night, starvation.  HAHA, not proud... but it was good!

******

We open 1 present on Christmas Eve... so we picked the box from Aunt Chiarina...

 It was a singing Justin Bieber Beaver!  So stinking CUTE!  Kloey is in love with it, she's really very good at singing BABY, Baby Baby..... OH.  She's starting dancing to it too.  It's the funniest thing.  We make her do it a few times a day for our entertainment.  She never lets us down!!! :)

Thank you Aunt K!

 The little elves in the laundry room... the tired little elves get moving along on Christmas Eve.  Much to be done while little people try to sleep.

 Our Christmas cookies and milk were ready for Santa...

 Tired little elves, but happy to say Santa came!  Funny how 4 little presents each (that increased to 6 with one from mom and dad and one from a sister) creates so many gifts...

 And comes Christmas morning.  We make the girls sit at the top of the stairs.  Funny, reading facebook, I've seen so many pictures of our friends' families doing the exact same thing.  HAHA, I thought it was just our wacko thing.

 Matthew likes to take pics before the chaos of Christmas.  It's all they can do to refrain themselves.  I'm surprised they all didn't summersault down.

 And chaos. 

But happy chaos.

Everyone yelling, screams with presents, excitement over other people's presents.  And what I finally wanted............ GRATITUDE for the 1 present that they really wanted.  Christmas isn't about the crap... because that becomes my job of decluttering in the Spring and more often than not, all those crappy excess toys get tossed.

*******

Christmas this year for Matthew and I, brought peace and comfort, in the midst of a tumultuous world.

For the girls, I saw:

Gratitude for the specific thing they truly wanted and anticipated for.

Enjoyment out of watching their sister open the gift they bought.

During Cinnamon Roll Christmas breakfast, we asked the older girls a few questions about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.  I was pleased with their answers.  Commercialism did not win over the Boyd home this year :) 

 Kylie wanted a specific microphone, that makes fun sound effects with her voice.

Kacey wanted a Justing Bieber doll, he sings "Somebody to Love...." when you push his stomach.

Kadyn wanted a mailbox, that Kloey likes alot too.  Kloey got a singing, pink soccer ball.

 Our trash cans were full to the brim. 

 Appropriately Santa gave "something to wear" items... being Christmas dresses.  Kloey's was full of glitter, meanwhile after 1 hour of church........ Matthew's navy suit was full of glitter also. :)

Merry Christmas!

*************

Day after Christmas Target shopping, got loads of stuff to decorate outside our house.... half off.  We have alot already, but our neighborhood decks it out big time.  We had to step up our game, so I bought clearanced stuff for next year.  Loads of wrapping paper, bags, brownie mixes, half off red oreos (who cares that they are red!), lots of tape, and this cool new contraption for my wrapping organization....

Awesome.