Christmas 2022

The kids woke up on Christmas morning to find that the milk and cookies that they had left out the night before for Santa were almost completely finished.  

It was still dark outside, but we have a rule now that they are all a little older (and are able to tell time), that we do not head out into the living room until 7 am.  I am usually up before that, showered and with my tea brewed though to start my day.

Stockings are always opened first and all of the items in them are always wrapped.  It makes the thrill last even longer!

Jack developed a real love and interest in the Buffalo Bills football team this year and while Santa wasn't sure that he wanted to invest in a (somewhat expensive) sweatshirt for Jack in case he decided to be a fair-weather fan, Santa DID put a Buffalo Bills toothbrush in his stocking.  Jack loved it!

Just a couple more months and this girl will get her braces off!

Sophia received a special necklace in her stocking with her name written in cursive.

Even Mia ended up with some treats in her stocking!

A nice warm hat for winter with a built-in light.  Steve has a headlamp that Jack often borrows, but to have a rechargeable light as part of a hat is a genius idea and something that Jack will get a lot of use out of!

I am pretty sure that Santa has been using this particular gift bag for Sophia every Christmas morning for the last 10+ years!

One of the most darling gifts for Jimmy was "Hattie," a stuffed hedgehog.  When Jimmy really little, I bought him a stuffed hedgehog from Hobby Lobby that we named, "Hedgie."  That became HIS absolute favorite stuffed animal and he continues to sleep with it every night. 

Over the last couple of years, Santa has delivered, "Holly" -- Hedgie's mom; "Humphrey" -- Hedgie's dad; and now "Hattie" -- Hedgie's sister.  They have always been carefully wrapped up with a note and I think that it is safe to say that the little hedgehog family is now complete.

The coolest sticker ever for a freshman in high school that LOVES her chicken nuggets and almost always refers to them as "nugs."

Sunglasses!  We go through a lot of sunglasses in this house, not just in the summer but also in the winter on those bright snowy days on the lake.

Another gift bag that has been reused by Santa over and over again for Jack.

Jack asked for a stuffed squirrel for Christmas (he loves squirrels!) and Santa was happy to oblige.

A new MSU sweatshirt for Sam because she ended up borrowing one of mine when she went to an MSU football game this Fall ... and never gave it back.  Ha!

And Steve's main gift from me was a fold-up rocking chair.  We have many fold up chairs that we store in the garage and lug from one event to another, but I figured that a rocking chair version would be even better.  I was right!  

This chair will be getting lots of use at our Spring flag football games with the boys this next season ...

Later in the day, my family and Steve's dad came over and we had prime rib, mashed potatoes, salad, bread rolls, fruit and lots of dessert!  A big thank you to Stan for treating us to the prime rib -- something that we have never feasted on for one of our holidays!

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