I wish I could relive our Christmas morning over and over again! It was absolute delight!
The boys slept until about 7:30...even a little longer than normal. How's that to start the morning off right for two tired parents!
The thing I thought was so lovely was that once they were up, they were completely content in each moment. There was no sense of rushing on to the next thing, anticipating, or wishing for something more. They were just delighted with each little thing!
Our family tradition is that Santa leaves the stockings by our beds. (So that in future years when little ones are waking early, they will have some entertainment until it's time to wake mom and dad!) Lewis and Beau were thrilled to find their stockings. Each little thing was so exciting! Santa also left a banana in each stocking (with the peel partially broken open, ready to go!), and a clementine. Our kids lose it by about 30 minutes after they wake up if they haven't eaten. Smart Santa - very smart!
After opening Lewis' stocking with him, and then Beau's in his room, we headed into Mommy and Daddy's room to see what Santa had brought them. I think we spent at least an hour or more just enjoying the stockings before we finally suggested to the boys that we might want to head downstairs and see what Santa brought us down there!
Here's what the boys saw once they made it down...
Oh, what joy ensued!
It was just classic Lewis and Beau - both presents suited them each perfectly!
Lewis headed straight for his doll house. After looking it over, he took out every single item and began to reorganize, doing a new set up. He was completely focused, especially given the raucous that arose from Beau's present!
Beau was thrilled to see his drums! "Santa brought me TWO drums!!! "
He grabbed the mallets and didn't stop drumming for about 45 minutes straight!
And, he wasn't the only one who was loving it. Michael has a history of loving drums, back from his days of wishing for one and getting a drum pad - the quieter version! He and Beau jammed out non-stop. Beau, of course, began requesting that Mommy dance. So, we had a full-out dance party, complete with some modern, west African, and hip hop-be-boppin' to the drum circle. We loved it! (Our neighbors probably didn't!!!)
We managed to pull everyone away to have breakfast, after which we settled back in to open presents. Lewis and Beau were so sweet. They shared opening the presents really well, and of course helped Mommy and Daddy open all of ours!
One of the many highlights of our gifts this year was that the boys had bought gifts for each other and for mom and dad from the "gift store" at their school Christmas party. It was lovely to see them so excited to give us their personal gifts. They had done such a nice job picking out things that they really thought would make sense. i.e. Beau got me a little kit with nail scissors and tweezers (perfect because I had lost mine!). Lewis gave me some make up bags (again, perfect, because I lost my whole make up bag with tweezers in it!). They had specific reasons why they thought each gift would have made sense.
Lewis got Beau a little stuffed reindeer. Beau immediately named it his "Sweetest Reindeer", and loves it like no other. He was really touched that his brother got him that gift!
It wouldn't be Christmas without new accessories!
Mike absolutely spoiled me with "The Christmas of Little Things". He wrote a poem to accompany. The first two bags had little truffles in them. The third had a moisturizer. And the fourth had a gift he bought me two years ago in Franschhoek and has been holding onto ever since! We had come across this gorgeous blue tanzanite set of earrings and a necklace in a little jewelry shop in town. Both of us were rather taken with them, but they were way too much of a splurge. Unbeknownst to me, Mike sneaked back just before we flew out and bought them. He secretly transported them in his scripture bag (which he then left on the plane in Jo-berg accidentally...total miracle that he got someone in the deserted wing to open the gate back up for him, that the plane was still there, and that the bag was still there!!!). He has been hiding them in his sock drawer for two years. His sock drawer might be the only place in the house I wouldn't have found them...it's so messy I can't stand to go through it!
I was so touched by his thoughtfulness and deviousness! And, the jewelry is gorgeous!
Michael got a slightly less devious present of pants from Bonobos and two photographs of old barns in Charlottesville - art I bought from a friend of ours there who is a gorgeous photographer.
The funny story with Mike's present was that the photo company messed up and first sent me a canvas of some random child instead of our art. That's what I wrapped for Mike to open up on Christmas morning. His reaction was priceless. "Oh, that's so cute! Oh....wait... who is that?" He afterwards got the real photos!
Here are some fun photos from the personalized chef hats and aprons that we all received from Gogo and Baba! So cute!!!
Mike also received a little aerator to froth milk, tea, or cocoa - the perfect gift for him. He's used it about 178 times already! :-)
