Merry Christmas!

I am enjoying being able to host Christmas with the Woolley side of the family this year and being able to be home when the kids wake up in the morning.  We were up late last night putting the finishing touches on some gifts (thank goodness Danila was here and she likes to wrap - and she wraps very nicely) and getting everything ready.  I have worked a little too much in the days leading up to Christmas (and finally put a halt on work before church yesterday when someone called with questions and I told them I wasn't going to talk and I'd get back to them on the 26th), so my preparations weren't entirely where I would have liked them when everyone started to arrive....

 Jon and I let the girls open their gifts from Santa early in the morning when they woke up, since everyone else wasn't going to be coming over for breakfast until a little later in the morning (and we weren't expecting Josh & Danila to want to be up at 6am).  The girls were so excited to see the big pile of presents under the tree.  Lauren was SO EXCITED to get on her new tricycle.

 Opening presents

 Hannah's favorite gift - from Uncle Daniel

 All of our stockings were on the fireplace mantle in the basement, so we went to the basement to open stockings after our Christmas breakfast.  My kids were genuinely excited over the toothbrushes, bandaids and scotch tape they found in their stockings :)

 Uncle Josh & Aunt Danila had stockings too!

 Lauren was the only kid who immediately ate her clementine from her stocking; she would have eaten everyone else's if we would have let her - I had no idea she liked them so much.

 More presents!

(Lauren wore her new backpack all morning)

 Gavin & Grant check out their new toys

 Lauren tries out her new pillow pet

Grant checks out the ornaments

We had a wonderful morning opening (too many) presents and enjoying each other's company.....and then got busy preparing a delicious meal to share in the afternoon.  We all loved hanging out in the evening once the kids were in bed - and that's really what the holidays are all about - spending time with family and loved ones.