Christmas Eve came before we knew it. We were busy, busy all day long delivering the last of the cinnamon rolls to neighbors, wrapping up last minute gifts, and making lots of memories. That night before going to bed, Eli chose which cookies he wanted to leave for Santa and then poured him a nice, tall glass of milk.
He wrote Santa a letter and then it was time for his Bible story and bed. He made sure to tell Elfis good-bye before he went to sleep because he knew that he wouldn't see him again until next year.
We all went to sleep and before we knew it morning had come and it was time to see what Santa had left for Eli. He was actually kind to us this year and I think it was around 5:30 or 6:00 before he came to get us, which is actually a normal time for us to get up. I snapped a picture of the picturesque scene before all chaos ensued :)
Eli's three gifts from Santa included a guitar, a stuffed Elf that he could actually touch (his words), and a spy watch. Each gift came with a tag straight from the North Pole ;)
Eli was MOST EXCITED about the stuffed Elf that he could touch. Oh my word. That child loves anything stuffed. He immediately christened the elf "Chippy" and carried him everywhere with him the rest of the day.
After seeing his three gifts, he went though his stocking from Santa.
Upon discovering the blue glitter glue, I think his exact words were, "Look, Mommy! Santa brought me the glitter glue that you always say you're not going to buy me"! Way to show me up, Santa :)
Practicing on his guitar
Santa always gets Eli three gifts, but Josh and I usually get him a couple of small things from us as well. Josh and Eli have been camping a lot lately and are planning more camping trips in the future, so Josh got Eli this really awesome lantern that you charge by winding the handle. It has an LED light, a USB port, a stand, and lots of other awesome features. I don't know who liked it more, Josh or Eli.
After opening gifts, we checked to see if Santa had eaten all the cookies and he had. He also left Eli a note telling him thanks.
We noticed something on the other side of the kitchen and discovered Elfis had left Eli a message before heading back to the North Pole with Santa. Eli was so happy to see that Elfis had written him a note telling him good-bye.
My Christmas surprise from Josh and Eli included a new Kitchen-Aid hand mixer, a brand new set of knives, and a candle from Anthropologie (okay, so I bought the candle myself, but I didn't open it until Christmas. I had to find some way to justify spending that much money on a stinking candle even if it does smells HEAVENLY!! Just saying if you haven't smelled the Volcano scent you're missing out...it's yummy!) I was so happy and surprised (not about the candle obviously, but everything else)!
The aftermath of our Christmas morning looked like this. What a fun and memorable mess!
While our breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls warmed up in the oven, Eli changed clothes and started playing with all his toys he'd gotten. Chippy was never far from him all morning long.
The most frustrating but equally satisfying game ever...Marble Run.
It was a very Merry Christmas for our family and I hope it was for your family as well! This was the picture we sent out to our family that morning wishing them Merry Christmas. We spent most of the day in our jammies/comfy clothes, watching Eli play with his toys, watching Christmas movies, and enjoying time with each other. It was a great day!
That's a wrap until next year!
