Christmas Day

On Christmas morning we woke up to a white blanket of snow! It looked straight out of a story book. Merry Christmas to us! We squealed at the snow for a couple of minutes - and then when the pirates couldn't wait any longer, we said a prayer and went upstairs. Erik was pretty sure he knew what Christmas was bringing - but Robs had no idea. She looked at me with these big wide eyes and asked, "Whose bike is that? Is it mine?!" Oh my heavens. 

It was so fun to tell her "YES!" 

My Squísh hand picked her gift. She was shopping with Em and I one day, and found the horse of her dreams. But I had already purchased her gifts, so we walked around the store for a while and talked about putting it back. Or getting it for her birthday. Or saving up her own money... but the chickie was determined this was the horse she needed. So we struck a deal, that we'd bring it home - but she'd have to forget about it until Christmas. We brought it home, but she didn't forget. Anytime someone asked, she'd tell them she was getting a horse. On Christmas morning, she was so happy to be reunited, once again. My dad was pretty excited for her too.

My little Em slept through the whole thing. I kept checking on her, but every time she was sound asleep. Our tradition is to wake up before the sun, but Em woke up somewhere between eight and nine. When she finally did wake up, she was pretty excited to see the pirates' gifts... and the whambam hat from my mom. (The strawberries! The pom! It's perfection!) I love it.

Christmas morning was pretty typical. We ate breakfast. Took the pirates to see Steve's family. But then we did something crazy. My family, my parents, two sisters, one brother and one brother-in-law hopped in two vans, and drove through a snowstorm and down to St. George. (Not quite over the river or through the woods, but close enough.) Originally, when we'd planned the trip, it looked like it was going to be in the fifties. But it wasn't. It was freezing. However the drive was gorgeous. (It just took a bit longer because of the snow.)

But then, in true over-the-river-through-the-woods-fashion, we dropped our bags, and drove another ten minutes to visit my grandma. It was a complete surprise. We knocked, and then sang a shortened version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" when she opened the door.  We put my mom up front, just in case she didn't recognize any of the rest of us. (But she did.) She's a sassy pants, and has a very quick mind. I love her. (Her husband is turning one hundred years old in just a month. The look on Erik's face when he realized he was meeting someone who was ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD... was priceless. Made every minute spent in the car: Worth it.)

After visiting my grandma, the pirates were tired. And hungry. But there was literally no place open. We ended up eating cereal and pizza purchased from a convenience store. And while we waited for the food to bake, the pirates watched a movie snuggled between my sister and her husband. It was a fun end for such a crazy, memorable, whirlwind Christmas Day! Merry Christmas!