We instructed all of the kids young and old that they were to remain in their bedrooms on Christmas morning until 7 am and wait for a parent retrieved them. Amy and Misha hung out on the basement stairs thinking that we were forgetting all about them.
We brought Amy and Misha up to where the rest of the kids were waiting on the stairs and hide them guide the kids down to the living room while the adults took pictures and videos. The kids got to open the stocking and Santa gift. We connected on Face Time again with Grandma so she could join in the fun.
We started opening presents at 8 am before the coffee cake was finished cooking and then took a breakfast break. While serving breakfast, Kevin took some of the kids outside to try out Joseph's "Super Miracle Bubbles" that didn't pop in the cold.
Kristen got an iPad mini.
Misha's response to Kristen's gift. She was a little peeved.
Amy was gifted an opportunity to go on a international trip with her dad.
And our final gift to our girls. A cruise. They were a little bit excited. We created some puzzles for them to decipher.
After presents we had a lite lunch of leftovers. I got the turkey started in the crock pot. Kevin and Candace were great about helping with dinner and getting the table set--there were a lot of legos to relocate. We had our traditional Christmas crackers and Kristen was excited for the flavored jellybeans. Each plate got two. Somehow, somehow I lucked out with two good flavors. Chris got two nasty flavors--grass clippings and something else awful. Someone got skunk. You could smell that one all over the room. After a lovely dinner, we just relaxed for the rest of the evening.
It started to snow around 7 or 8 pm and many in the Ball family headed outside to play in the snow. Kristen was thrilled to go with them. For the rest of us, snow on Christmas Day wasn't such a big deal and we opted to stay inside by the warmth of the fireplace. It's all about perspective.