10. Overhearing Carter say how he loves going to visit all the grandparents on Christmas Day because there are presents at each stop!
9. Going to church on Christmas Eve with Carter just the two of us because the others were sleeping. He wore his nice dress pants and suspenders from the wedding and even wore his cap! He sat on my lap the whole time and as we were leaving there were big huge snowflakes falling from the sky! We were going to have a White Christmas!
8. The kids singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candle with Aunt Susie.
7. Dressing the boyz in all the same shirts on Christmas Eve
6. Hearing Chloe, their cousin say “There’s one!” when she was trying to round up the Jay boyz to open presents
5. Hearing the boyz spontaneously say “Thank you!” for presents they were opening.
4. Seeing the magic in their eyes on Christmas Eve as they set up the table with Christmas cookies for Santa and then Carter reminding me that “Santa said I had to go to bed early…”
3. Me going around to each bedside to video once they were all asleep and coming into to Carter & Kiefer’s room right as Kermit was singing “there’s only one more sleep till Christmas….!”
2. Sneaking down to see how Santa left things all perfect right before the boyz woke up!
1. The Magic of Christmas morning! The best morning of the year! They were so excited!
(Christmas Morning Top 10)
10. The blanket barricade. We made them wait till everyone was awake and Jim made a blanket barricade so they couldn’t sneak down without us.
9. Stairs Photo Opp! Seeing all 4 of them waiting on the steps as they posed for pictures.
8. Hearing a genuine, “I wanted that!!!” As they rushed to see what Santa left!
7.That they were just as excited about the goodies in their stockings as the big gift!
6. That Griffin sat in the Gator the whole time sucking on a peppermint stick and didn’t open any of his presents!
5. That Carter could read the gift tags this year!
4. That once they opened everything I laid Fletcher down in a pile of wrapping paper and let him have at it! The highlight of his Christmas was kicking, eating, tearing and slobbering on the paper!
3. That we all sat down to have a Christmas breakfast of waffles, spinach, bacon egg quiche, cinnamon rolls and orange juice on the Christmas china.
2. That we didn’t have to be anywhere till noon… but it was actually not till 12:30! So we gained an extra half hour!
1. That when I tucked Carter in after a very long but wonderful day he said that he said his favorite gift was his Velveteen Rabbit and that he was just kidding about his secret wish and that he really wanted a Gator instead. (smart boy, because that’s what he got!)
0.5 That Kiefer chose to bring his Buzz Lightyear costume as his favorite present that he received and that he changed into it at Mom & TJ’s and wore it most the evening! He really likes it!
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Carter was sooo excited to put out all the crafts he had made for Santa. He’d been begging to put up this table for weeks! Finally, it was Christmas Eve (he put it all up first thing that morning!)
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Chloe and Carter at Christmas Eve dinner, she’s mildly amused with them… mildly
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There’s one!
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There’s another!
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They’re everywhere! And their smiles are beaming!
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Merry Christmas! Griffin claps on the hearth
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The one and only picture of Fletcher… he wore a matching plaid shirt under his Christmas sweater… just taking it all in
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Carter & Kiefer setting out the cookies for Santa (and crafts!) & Reindeer Food that Kiefer told Santa about
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The Reindeer headdress and bag of crafts accompanied the cookies (later there was much disappointment that Santa didn’t keep them)
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Griffin was all about the cookies… even created his own step stool to reach
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Sleeping babies…. Fletcher
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Griffin
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Carter & Ellie (Spelled L-E)
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Kiefer
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The Night Before Christmas…Visions of Sugarplums for sure… what is a sugarplum?
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Stockings overstuffed by the chimney with care
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Sure looks like St. Nicholas was there!
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The meaning of Christmas hopefully shines through
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The Blanket Barricade in action
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Trapped!
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Pleeeeaaassssee!!!! Can we go downstairs yet? (notice it’s still dark outside!)
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Griffin’s eager to go downstairs
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Four boyz in Pj’s eagerly await surprises that wait downstairs
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“Ohhhh!!! I wanted that!!!” Merry Christmas!!!
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| Griffin with his peppermint stick sitting in the Gator |
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| Kiefer |
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| Carter opening a tractor |
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| Carter’s new books |
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| Fletcher’s one an only present – a baby calendar like his brother’s |
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| Griffin never left the Gator… they piled his presents in the back |
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| Fletcher had a blast with the wrapping paper |
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| Kiefer in his Buzz Lightyear costume |
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| All Six of us |
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| All the grandkids with Papa & Creepy |
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| Griffin fell asleep in “Kunkel Creepy’s” arms and when he woke up later while driving home he asked for him by name! |
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| Merry Christmas! We posed with the only boy who would stay still! |
