The first miracle of Christmas 2015 was that the children slept in until almost 8:00am!
We awoke to another 12 inches of snow that had fallen through the night: a winter wonderland! It was so pure and beautiful to see. We contained the kids as long as we could in the basement before they came up the stairs. They tore into their stalkings for fruit, headphones, candy, socks and underwear from Santa. Much to their parents' surprise, the often-naughty children received gifts from Santa that excited them. For Taylor, some new clothes, for Jaxson some clothes and a lava lamp for his new bedroom, for Austin a PS3 game, clothes, and a iHome for his bedroom, and for Alyssa some clothes, Orbees Spa and some barbies. Mom and dad gave Taylor a new stereo for her bedroom, Jaxson an iPhone 4, Austin a basketball and Seahawks blanket and Alyssa a Kid Kindle Fire.
We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, hash browns and eggs. Later in the day, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Nicole came over to get their gift from mom and dad. They stayed for several hours as we watched a movie on our new TV and surround sound system (that Nicole helped us hook up). We did laundry and packed for our AZ trip too. It was the most wonderful day surrounded by our family!
Christmas Eve was enjoyed by all with a festive celebration at Poppie and Grandma Barbie's house. The presents were stacked neatly in the corner of the family room and the tables were decorated to perfection (like every year) by Grandma Barbie. Dinner was ham, potatoes with sides, presents were exchanged, and then peppermint ice cream was enjoyed by all.
The favorite gifts of the night were PJs for everyone (including adults) from Grandma Barbie! We all LOVED them! The parents were even more excited than the kids about their new sleepwear.
After the party, we hurried home with our Aunt Cindy, Carson, and Jerry. We took pictures by our Christmas tree and listened to me play my favorite Christmas carols on the piano as we watched the snow fall out of the window. It was just incredible. What a wonderful night to ponder the gifts of Christmas, in particular, the gift of our Savior and what his life means to the world.
My sweet neighborhood friends tell me that one of the highlights of their holiday traditions is the annual Lindsay Family Christmas FHE (and "Extravaganza"). I can't lie; it's one of mine too! We invited our neighbors over for a little FHE lesson, caroling by the piano, and then we enjoy visiting over cups of hot chocolate and goodies prepared by each neighbor. It really is the best and we have so much fun. I didn't get too many great pictures from the night but I'm posting some of the CH gang:
