On Christmas Day in the Morning....

This was the first year that Santa came-but he didn't. My youngest is 11. If he hasn't caught on by now with the 3 older blabber mouths (okay maybe just one older blabber mouthed brother) then he really is a die-hard believer. But I think it is safe to say he has only been going with the fantasy for my sake-for quite a while. So, while Santa came-he only filled the stockings and left the rest of the gift giving to mom and dad. To further kill the magic of the suspense, Jordan had to wake Christian up out of a dead sleep Christmas night to help him carry in his gift. I had mentioned to Jordan a couple of days earlier that I thought the ping-pong table we got the kids as a family gift might require a little advanced planning and preparation. But what do i know? I finally went to bed around 1 a.m.-which early hour is further proof of Santa's lack of involvement this year-with Jordan still feverishly trying to assemble a ping-pong table.

Santa brought the ring...

and the hat....

...but Christian gave Hailee the Speedstick men's deodorant so she would quit stealing his.

I think she was really happy with her gift.

Then...the family came for breakfast. This is truly the best meal of the year. Carmel hot cocoa with peppermint and marshmallows, dutch oven pancakes with fresh fruit and coconut syrup, breakfast casseroles, hash-brown casseroles with fresh salsa, grapefruits and pomegranates, and Vicki's homemade sweet rolls. Honestly, I made myself a little sick. I couldn't seem to quit feeding my face.

How many people can you fit on your couch? This number requires people to like each other.

No doubt that what they are looking at involves technology.

Kelli and Brandt

More technology. It looks like Jodi can even text with her eyes closed.

Kelli and Mads

My favorite gift this year came from this boy. My brother gave each of his sisters and his parents a gift of service. Everything from babysitting to handy-man jobs. Mine also included free tennis lessons for Jordan. :) (They have a little rivalry going. Everytime they play tennis together, they both come back saying that they won.)