Finally, all about Christmas

I was hoping to have this post done before it was 2011, but I guess Febuary 1st is good too.  I really should be doing dishes, but here I am instead recording history right? 

We have started having annual Christmas family parties since Robert's parents moved back to Utah.  We all get together, or all those that can.  Santa seems to have time to stop by for a visit, we have finger food type dinner/snacks and have a small gift exchange using the "Wright's Christmas Story" where you pass your present to the left or right/wright everytime the story says those words.  It is lots of fun. 

Present at our party this year was our family of course (since it was at our house), Robert's parents, his grandparents, his sister's family which includes their daughter's family, and we missed Robert's 3 other siblings and their family that live out of state. 

The girls seemed to like the food and most of all the good stuff they got from Santa when he brought their stockings full of goodies!

Samantha sitting with Santa getting her stocking.

Lauren telling Santa how good she has been this year so she can get her stocking.

Amber wasn't too sure about Santa after her mall trip that she decided she didn't want to sit on Santa's lap even for a sucker, but she did okay this time.

Lindsey sitting on Santa's lap excited for her stocking of good stuff.

Emily didn't look my way to smile for the camera, but she too sat on Santa's lap.

Grandpa even got a turn.  Sanata made him in charge of collecting garbage.

Here is the wonderful Grandparents of Robert.  The girls love their Great Grandparents!

This is Robert's neice and her family.

 Funny thing about our family party was Robert was still healing from his surgery and then his sister's husband just had knee surgery.  The two of them sat next to each other on the couch.  Santa commented on the two of them.  We made several jokes about it. 

On Christmas Eve, we were invited to go to the Johnson's family party.  We enjoyed pizza and made some candy sleighs in groups that we then raced each other to see whose was fastest.  (My team won!)  Then we did a little gift exchange with the "Wright Story" and passed our gifts around.  We also put together some hygeine kits (I think that is what they are) with toothbrushes, wash clothes, combs, soap, toothpaste.  Our church participates in humanitarian aide, and that is what these kits were used for.  My girls love doing it, they always ask if we will be doing it again when we go to the Johnson's party.  I guess I need to get more involved and get some kits for us too to do. 

Finally came the day of Christmas.  The kids were so excited.  Amber was asking for days, is tomorrow Christmas?  I had to keep telling her no and showing her the calendar so we could count the days.  It was kind of a bummer, I had not wrapping help since Robert was in his sling.  I started early wrapping presents and then the big night of Christmas Eve, I wrapped maybe 5 presents, came down stairs with all my boxes of wrapped presents.  Robert was pretty surprised I was done already.  He at one point said, "when are you going to wrap presents?"  I kept putting it off and putting it off.  I think he thought I might be wrapping presents until the time the girls woke up. 

I wish I would have gotten pictures of what Christmas looked like.  I got it on video but no still pictures and I am too lazy to get them from the video right now.  The older girls all got new bikes, Samantha got a baby stroller, high chair, and little bed.  She LOVED it!  Amber got a little barn set with animals and tractors and all. 


I somehow with those little girls seem to always have smudges on my lens.  Lauren is opening up a present here, and Robert looks a little sleepy still.



Emily wanted to try to guess what each present was as she opened it, so many times she would not look until she could guess what it was.  Oh, and look, Robert looks a bit sleepy again.

Amber opening one of her presents.

Lindsey was always cracking jokes, "yeah it's a box, I love it!"  She is the life of the party.

Samantha worn out from Christmas morning.

Poor Samantha was so worn out, she fell asleep without her blanket or sucking her thumb.  She is wearing a dress up outfit that Amber got for Christmas.  It was too funny to watch, little Samantha just kept bobbing her head, then she would sit back up and start bobbing all over again. 

That was a short version of our Christmas.  The girls got lots of stuff, Emily got a TON of books.  I don't recall too many toys.  Mostly the toys the girls got came from what they bought for each other. 

That was how are Christmas went.  It seemed like it came and went too fast.  Every year I feel like we need to have more Christ in our celebrations, every year I try to do it and yet every year I feel like we didn't do enough.  I heard of a family that doesn't do Santa.  I kind of like the idea so that Chirst is there instead of Santa, but I feel like it is too late for that.  I will just have to try a little harder next year.  I think with Robert's surgery and all, it made things so crazy and fast paced, we waited till the last minute to do many of the things and that always makes it hard for me to feel the spirit and enjoy the season of the birth of Christ.  (sigh)  I will do better next year!