Christmas Day!

Christmas Day came and went in a whirlwind of candy, smiles, food and presents presents presents. I always wish Christmas Day could last a little bit longer, it is oh so special.

As any and all Christmas days should start, it begun with an excited dash to the living room to check if Santa had come. Oh he had come! A huge pile of golden presents awaited the kids. Next we rushed over to our stockings and James found one of the only things he had asked for. "A snuggly squirrel".

Before many photos could be snapped the stockings were dumped upside down and happy squeals filled the sleepy living room. Each kid got gummy worms, bath time foamy soap, lollipops, and the favorite of all, they each got a sheet of bubble wrap.

After E and I made coffee we moved over to the presents Santa left. James inspected each one, shaking and weighing, trying to guess what each held.

One of his bigger gifts was a stomp rocket, where you shoot rockets into the sky using air propulsion.

The doctor tool kit was addressed to both kids, but after Juliet received a fake shot she has forsaken it. She won't touch it. James however loves it.

Full exam before eight am.

The thing we were most excited to give the kids was a homemade pipe kit for the bath. We used PVC pipes, attached suction cups and the idea is you can make custom paths for water to flow in the bath tub. Both kids were thrilled (and it has since proven to be really fun!).

Checking out the new pipes on the front window.

As always, each kid got a book. James's "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" has been a huge hit.

At ten we loaded up the kiddos for a jammie brunch and more presents at E's family's house.

We were greeted with a living room brimming with gifts! Juliet found her cradle first thing and started working on getting all the babies to take a nap.

This little love is so sweet and darling. I got to get all my snuggles in before she starts denying anyone but her parents.

Can you get over these three in their Christmas jammies?

Soon we opened stockings (filled to the brim with more sweets than ever). Both kids gravitated to the lollipops and wanted them open immediately.

Lots and lots of presents.

The night before James asked to sit next to Auntie Melissa for dinner, and the next morning he requested to sit next to Emilia. Never before has he not wanted to sit next to E and I, so this was huge and super adorable. At one point he said "I'm sitting in a girl sandwich! Both the girls I love."

Once home we put the kids down for a nap and got right to work. I polished silver and set the table. E cooked. We were hosting my Dad and his fiancé, my mom and her husband, my siblings and E's siblings for dinner. E wanted it to be perfect, so he smoked two turkeys for the occasion. They came out AMAZINGLY!

Soon everyone arrived, more presents were exchanged, and everyone sat down with hot wassail with rum. Both of my shy kids were being amazing (which is a miracle, since even with family these two act super shy).

Lots of partying to be done.

Dinner was served on the silver platters I inherited from my grandmother. Everything was DIVINE. Every single person could not believe how yummy the turkey was, and even in the middle of dinner James said "everyone look at me! Look at me! I am LOVING the turkey!" Everyone laughed at our sweet boy.

Chef extraordinaire.

Lots of happy silliness ended out the perfect day. Merry merry Christmas!