Christmas

Our flight to Salt Lake City left at about 7 p.m., so after a layover in Denver and a late night catching up with Paul's family, we didn't get to bed until about 4:30 a.m. (our time). Benjamin didn't sleep at all on the plane or on the car ride like I had expected him to, so he was a little wired the next day on Christmas Eve. So we opted not to keep him up for the Christmas Eve program. He did, however dress as a little shepherd boy for a few minutes before crying and running away from the camera. After he was down, we all sang Christmas songs and read the Wycliffe version of Luke 2.

Here we are, waiting on the stairs to go see what Santa brought us! Benjamin was still sick, so the tissue over his nose is pretty accurate.
Benjamin was so excited that Santa had brought him a fire engine with a ladder and opening doors and flashing lights and sirens and even a little firefighter. He walked away with his fire engine in hand and a big grin on his face saying, "Thank you, Santa!" We had to ask him to come back each time it was his turn to open another present. He would have been happy with just the fire engine, I think! That, and the yogurt. Santa filled his stocking with a few cups of yogurt, and Benjamin thought that was the coolest thing ever. He couldn't stop talking about it.

Aunt Katie gave him a backpack, which was another favorite. It's a Thomas the Train backpack, which naturally makes him enviable among his peers. He loves it! This was another hit- a magnifying glass. He knew exactly what it was, and ran around the house shouting, "It's a magnifying glass!" and examining everything through it.

It's so fun having a kid who's a little more aware and who can appreciate Christmas. We all had a wonderful Christmas and the gifts were all so thoughtful! We spent the last half of Christmas day with my family, who now live about an hour north of Paul's parents. It was fun to be able to see both our families this year, since we had no family with us last Christmas.