Merry Christmas!

This Christmas was definitely our best! We stared the morning with everyone coming down stairs at 7:30 am. We all opened our stockings!

Note: When we open gifts on Christmas morning we don't just unwrap them. We open the present COMPLETELY. If it is a doll, it comes out of the box, if it is lego the receiver may choose to actually build the set or they may wait if they would like, but we take turns and watch each other or play with something we have already received until it is our turn again.

With that much understood, we finished stockings and had some breakfast. (Just cold cereal, we are dealing with children after all!)

After breakfast we continued the gifts. Benjamin was the best to watch open gifts. He would tear the paper just a little at a time. It came off in shreds, but he wouldn't even let someone touch his lovely pile of garbage he was making until the whole thing was unwrapped.

Emma was really excited about the gift she received from her brothers. They had picked out a trunk of dress-up dresses and she is definitely a princess now.

Jacob was amazed that Santa actually gave him a subscription to Lego Brick Master. It is a bimonthly magazine that actually has a new lego set with each issue! He knows this must be "Very expensive" and can't believe Santa would be so generous. (We love when they are easily impressed) Philip received a German Steiff Bear that we found out later was actually made in China (is anything sacred anymore?)

But we would have to say that Robin was the most surprised and excited to find that Santa had filled our stockings with Big Turks! Yes that is right! For those not into the Canadian candy lingo, Big Turks are a candy bar from Canada that Robin remembers eating as a child and her whole family loves. Right up there with Canadian Smarties and Macintosh Toffee. Some how Santa knew!

This year we also tried a lesson in sharing. The kids each received individual gifts from Santa, but all the gifts Nato and Robin gave to the kids were group gifts for ALL of them. Toys, games, books. It has been awesome to see each one of them sharing! "This is everyone's" has been music to our ears! It is much better than, "No! That's mine!" They are even sharing their individual gifts they received from Santa without too much prodding.

To capture the true magic of the day we are including this video of Emma. Somehow it is just easier to see how wonderful Christmas was this year through her eyes!

We hope your Christmas was just as wonderful!