Christmas planning this year started all the way back in June! We knew Beatrix would be here by the Holidays, which meant mommy would be out of work and on Maternity leave by that point. So we started buying Christmas gifts for the kids 6 months in advance, including for our not yet born a the time Beatrix! For the first time ever we had 4 kids to take to see Santa, and the kids were super hyped this year for his visit. Now that Athena is another year older, all of the kids (with the exception of baby Bea of course), understood the excitement of Christmas.
The kids all helped decorate the Gingerbread house. This is something we have done every year since Kira was born. Donovan also did one at school this year, and he was so excited to bring it home. He told me for weeks how beautiful it was and how he couldn't wait to bring it home so we could all see!
Donovan also had a Holiday Celebration at School that Brandon, Athena, Bea and i all went to as well. It's always fun to see the kids at school because they are so well liked by friends and staff, its a reminder of the amazing little people we are raising. Another long standing Christmas tradition our family has is Christmas Eve Jammies.
Every year Everyone in the family gets new Christmas Jammies to be opened on Christmas Eve. This way everyone goes to bed Christmas Eve in brand new jammies. It gives everyone a little something to open the night before Christmas.
Kira in particular was excited this year with hopes of footie pajamas. They may not have feet on them, but when she saw her new pajama's she was pretty hyped because this is the sort of pajama's she had been hoping for.
Donovan got Mickey Pajama's, and Athena got Minnie.
Sort of a random note, but the dresser in the background that clearly needs refinished (because the tape we used to keep the drawers shut during the move literally ripped pain off of the front creating that X) Is an amazingly sturday dresser that once upon a time belonged to my mom and Aunt, then became mine as a kid growing up, and now belongs to my kids. Might just be a dresser but pretty cool that all our generations have used it =)
Before bed the kids put out Cookies for Santa, this year they asked Google what Santa's favorite cookies were, and thats what we made. White Chocolate chip cookies, with red and green chips.
The kids of course went to bed very excited for Christmas morning, and i can't blame them, on Christmas Eve even before the stockings were filled and Santa came there was a crazy amount of gifts under the tree. Infact they started to cover up the tree and as it became hidden, we had to make a second overflow area for gifts. It seems like a lot, and i won't lie it was, however we went from having 3-4 Christmas's each year, to doing it all at home, so it's really all those celebrations just crammed into one home!
The first thing the kids opened were their Santa gifts. All the kids got what they asked for with the exception of Kira, whom i assume Santa had to improvise with since Nana got her exactly what she asked Santa for!
So from Santa, Kira got Roblox figures and a Roblox gift card. This is an online gaming platform she uses, and plays games with her friends from school. She first started playing Roblox after her Birthday this year, when she used her birthday money from GG to buy a Roblox starter set. Donovan got an RC stunt car, Athena got an UmiZoomi Car, and Beatrix got a Supportive Caterpillar sit up style toy.
From Nana Kira got an LOL Doll. This year they release full size dolls (vs. the small ones) and this is the toy (LOL) that all the kids Kira's age have been crazy for, for the past couple of years. She has tons of the little LOL's now she has a full size as well.
Donovan got push trucks from Nana, this was originally something he was going to ask for from Santa before he changed his mind. They have wheels that also light up. it wasn't until later Christmas evening when we opened the box that we found out there were actually 4 trucks in the box! Athena Also got Dinosaurs from nana. ( I don't have pics of everything cause some didn't come out well)
From GG Donovan got these super big (and once we used them impressively good working) nerf guns. He also got a little pacman arcade game that was probably one of his favorite gifts of the day
From GG, Athena got a vet set, complete with a stuffed dog and carrier. She was really hyped for this gift as well. She also got a paw patrol Marshall with a firetruck.
From GG Kira got a My life Doll (sort of like an American Girl but without the 100 dollar pricetag!), she also got doll accessories, a papison chair and some clothes. From GG Beatrix got a huge stuffed Elephant, and a V-tech tummytime toy that will grow with her and become a sit up toy eventually as well.
From Aunt M, we got a fold up picnic blanket. This will get a lot of use this summer, since we like to go to Cherry Creek State park a lot to picnic at the lake!
To the left is Beatrix's tummy time toy from GG in action! Christmas got a little crazy and i will certainly forget some of the
gifts from Grandma, but here is what i remember lol . . . Athena got a Bird house building/painting kit. This is pretty awesome because we got Donovan a Wooden car building/ painting set, and Kira a paint your own jewelry box set, so now all the kids will have a painting craft to do later today!
Athena also got a block set, like the one she used to play at GG's house, and princess and the frog doll. From Grandma, Kira got an earing/necklace set (she's been asking for Earings!), a charm craft set, a slime set and a really nice jewelry box, which she actually turned into a home to store all of her miniatures and LOL stuff.
From Grandma Donovan got Starwars action figures, and lightsaber that lights up and talks.
Bea, got several cute outfits, a snowsuit, a blanket and stuffed bear from Grandma. The kids also got some stocking stuffers, they were really hyped for the mickey and minnie pez dispensers.
From Athena's teacher she got a really pretty outfit. I will have to take a pic when she finally puts it on. Athena's gift from her Teacher Monica was a special one. When i picked her up before winter break she told me there was a gift hiding in her cubbie. She asked me to try and sneak it out without the kids seeing, because this was a special gift she got for Athena, and she hadn't bought any of the the other kids gifts. Athena has made quite the impression on her teachers, she is definitely a special kid, and quite often comes home with her hair done, or with a little extra something here and there!
Mommy and Daddy gifted most of the other gifts a few
Honorable mentions would include, Lego's, lincoln logs, Donovan's play tent, Athena's bubble guppie toy and paw patrol smart watch, barbies for the girls, a doll closet and clothes/accessories for Kira.
Of course books for the kids, art stuff, a scrap booking kit for Kira, JOJO bows, and earings for Kira.
Donovan's first transformer, of course it was a bumblebee since thats his favorite. Nail art for Kira, baby toys for Bea, paw patrol toys for Athena, etc. etc. and Clothes!
We also got a couple of gift cards from Nana and Grandma. We used these for Gingerbread making supplies, cookie supplies for Santa, and Christmas Lunch/Dinner which consisted of us taking the easy way out this year and taking the kids to one of their favorite places for Christmas, Golden Coral!
** No i don't feel bad for going out on Christmas i'm a restaurant manager which means i too work on the holiday, i just got a freebie this year due to maternity leave!
We have a week and a half before the kids go back to school and i go back to work, so we have several fun activities planned during that time including the Museum of Nature and Science, the zoo, childrens museum etc.
Merry Christmas to all of our Friends and Family!!!
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