When I was growing up, the entrance to our living room was always blocked on Christmas morning by the door to the basement. I loved the anticipation of waiting for the door to open so we could see what Santa left! We had to wait for my dad to put in his contacts--which, even if you aren't waiting for something like Christmas presents, really does take FOREVER! I love to make my kids wait and all go in at the same time, too.
Anna was happy to receive her Playdoh Factory--"Ice Cream Shoppe" version. It is very cute and fun. My kids can play with playdoh for hours! When a cashier at Smith's asked her if she was excited for Christmas, she responded "I want a playdoh factory and we're having a new baby!"
Eliza followed in Madeline's footsteps requesting an easel this year. (Madeline didn't actually get one for Christmas last year, but for her birthday). Several of her sisters mentioned that they would like to get an easel next year as well, however Mother Dear has kindly told them that our house cannot fit more than two easels! (We do already have two giant chalkboards down stairs).
Natalia threw Mom and Dad for a loop this year. She told us for many months that she wanted an American Girl doll for Christmas, but when she talked to Santa Claus, she requested an electric train! Looks like Santa can change his plans on a dime!
Madeline requested an art kit. I think most of her gifts over her lifetime have had some sort of art background--culinary arts, dress designing, easel, art kit. She has a love of creating!
Camilla asked Santa to surprise her this year. But then she mentioned that she would like a small giant panda. Santa brought the panda and an art kit as well.
Anna made and gave Camilla a chalkboard. See Anna's name at the bottom? AAAA. She thinks A's are easier than N's, so she just substituted them in. It works.
My girls always draw names and generally give a homemade gift. This is a cute vest for Madeline's stuffed dog, Hossypup, made by Eliza.
Mari received the Fisher Price Little People house she had been dreaming about, and also adopted Camilla's panda bear.
Everyone received new sheets and pillows for their beds! They were pretty excited about them!
Matching shirts came in pairs this year. Eliza and Natalia both received these cute owl shirts.
Camilla made Mari this little stuffed bear which she has named "B."
We were taking care of some neighbor animals over Christmas break. Madeline was actually in charge of the horses, but since sitting on them is part of the deal, everyone was very willing to help!
Mari really enjoyed getting to "ride" the horses! We decided she wasn't quite ready to ride solo, so Madeline held her on.
If you look closely, you can see "Duke" in Madeline's lap. Taking care of other animals was a good experience in having a "job." It even had to be done on holidays!
Natalia's train set has been fun, but requires more assistance than I realized it would. It is a little tricky to get it properly lined up on the tracks, but it's still quite fun!
Three sets of twins!
The Mari and Anna set.
The Madeline and Camilla set.
The Eliza and Natalia set.
This playdoh set came with 8 different ice cream "flavors" including mint chocolate chip. Of course, within 4 days they were all just a purplish mixture, but fun to have different colors for a while!
All Mari's older sisters were pretty thrilled with the songs and sounds her house can make and were willing to spend time playing with her.
I have wanted a nice nativity set for a long, long time. I have one that I got from a garage sale a few years ago, but I was excited to get this real beautiful one. Of course, it was unpacked to look at and repacked for next year's use, but it will be fun to have it next year! Not sure if we can keep those cute little Anna hands (and all the other sister hands) off the baby Jesus, but we'll try!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Oh, I could totally feel the magic as I read! Thanks for sharing your Christmas morning! Love your girls--and love the three sets of twins. Such an incredible family!
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