and so I'm offering this simple phrase...

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..." Merry Christmas everyone!!!! Today our family celebrated Christmas!!!! Ashtyn woke up at 5:30AM and came into my room to wake me up. He shook me until I woke and then said, wide eyed, "Mom! Santa came! I saw all the presents!" I looked at my clock and told him we needed to sleep for just a bit longer. I let him get in bed with me (where Maddox was already sleeping...) and then we had the looooongest half hour ever!! Ash never fell back asleep and at 6:00AM sharp Maddox opened his eyes, not knowing Ash was in the bed too, and said "I think Santa passed our house..." to which Ashtyn sat straight up and exclaimed "NO HE DIDN'T! NO HE DIDN'T MADDOX! I SAW ALL THE PRESENTS!!!!!!" Needless to say, we were all up at this point and we started opening gifts at 6:10AM. Whew!! It was early but with a couple cups of coffee we were good to go!! The boys had a blast opening their gifts and Brandon and I had a blast watching them!! They were so cute!! They got sooooo excited over every single little gift. There were fruit roll ups in their stockings and they even got so excited to see those that you would have thought they had never seen a fruit roll up before!!

PILLOW PETS!!!!!!

Can't...get...it...open...

Santa must've known we were headed to Colorado because he brought an inflatable sled AND an inflatable igloo!! We can't wait to use them!!

Last but not least the boys opened their new DS game systems!! They've been asking for their own DS for a long time and they've been sharing one that is pretty much falling apart so this was their year!! Ash got a blue DS and Maddox got a black one!!

The boys and I had put together an extra special surprise for Brandon's gift this year. He works so hard for our family and then comes home and helps out here too!! What a husband!! :)

Brandon and I also got each other new wedding bands this Christmas. We've been married 8 1/2 years and both have had "issues" with our original rings. Brandon lost his wedding ring pretty soon after our wedding day and ever since has worn his "True Love Waits" ring doing his best to keep the true love waits wording turned underneath his hand so that it looks like a plain silver band. I started out with an engagement solitaire with baguette diamonds on the sides and then had a matching wedding band with baguette diamonds on it as well. When I was pregnant with Ashtyn a diamond fell out of my engagement ring. We had it repaired but then after Ash was born it happened again. By this time, though, I had already scratched poor baby Ashtyn with my engagement ring more times then I could count so had pretty much stopped wearing it. So, ever since, I've just worn my wedding band and recently a diamond fell out of that as well. Sigh. So, this year we got new rings! Brandon got a two tone band that looks much like his original ring and I chose a plain silver band with diamond eternity band to go next to it. It's simple but I think it's beautiful and plus I've learned over the years that the less ring I have sticking out of my hand the easier chores and taking care of kids is. Sure, one day I'd like another bridal style diamond...maybe for a future anniversary, but I'll save that for when the kids are older.

The kids Christmas review...



Charlie even had a gift under the tree from Santa!! He REALLY got into the unwrapping part too!! Ha!! He wanted that bone!!

All the fun wore him out...I found him in his bed about an hour later...

This afternoon the boys bundled up and went outside to give their new bikes a test run! It was SUPER cold so they didn't last too long but they had fun!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! I know most of you will be celebrating Christmas a couple days from now and I hope you all have a great time with family and make many many memories!! We will take lots of pictures skiing and hope to all come home in one piece! Ha!! I wanted to leave you all with a good laugh. Maddox calls this his "Christmas Dance"!! I'm not quite sure where it came from but it was hilarious and very entertaining!! Enjoy...