Christmas Day, 2011

Finally, it was Christmas! After all the travel, it was great to be home and ready for our own Christmas with the kids.

I bought our stockings a few years ago and got an extra. But it didn’t have Honor’s name on it. I couldn’t have it embroidered last Christmas because we kept her name a secret and didn’t want to take a chance on the cat getting out of the bag. So when we went home to visit, I took Honor’s stocking with us and my friend Kari Beth matched the embroidery and put her name on it for me. I love how it turned out!

All during our trip, family members had been asking Caedmon what he wanted for Christmas. His answer was the same every time, ala Ralphie from A Christmas Story: “I want a big Buzz Lightyear whose wings shoot out and has a laser.” (I could’ve sworn I videoed it, but I can’t find it. I really hope I did video it!) So it was a really good thing that at home, Buzz Lightyear was ready and waiting.

I got the stockings ready after the kids went to bed Christmas Eve, and pre-opened the unwrapped gifts. It’s a good thing I did. Liberating Buzz Lightyear from his “hypersleep” was crazy and required wire cutters and almost 10 minutes. I’m not kidding. I put him back in the box for effect, and this is what Caedmon found when he got up Christmas morning.

Of course, the doll was for Honor. She had to be pre-opened too!

I’d like to say that our Christmas morning was just like you see in the movies. But um, do you know us? Of course it wasn’t.

Honor had been rolling over in her sleep, waking herself up – and was quite angry about it. We’d been travelling (all sleeping in the same room) and I hadn’t been able to let her work it out on her own, so I’d been flipping her over at least once a night so we could all sleep. Caedmon’s been dealing with night time fear a lot lately, and we were pretty sure that he’d be up at some point during the night. So we couldn’t leave the toys under the tree. Husband set his alarm for 4:30 to get up and put the toys out.

Except that he forgot that even with my gift already taken care of, he was still responsible for my stocking stuffers. He remembered at about 7:30pm on Christmas Eve. But I suppose he planned on going shopping after he put the toys out.

As predicted, Caedmon ended up in our room, sleeping on the floor, at some point during the night. Husband woke up at 3:00am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I heard him get dressed and leave. And then come home later. At least somebody was sleeping. Honor hadn’t made a peep. Until she decided it was time to wake up for the day at 6:30am. Which isn’t horrible, but it’s a bit early for her. And for me. Husband was back in bed, trying to sleep. Caedmon was sleeping in the floor beside my bed.

I brought Honor into our room, thinking maybe she’d nurse and go back to sleep. She ate, but wasn’t going back to sleep. I decided we’d go in the living room and let the boys sleep. We no more than got settled good when Caedmon came and climbed up on the couch with us.

He’d noticed the stuff under the tree, but was trying to be cool about it. I put my arm around him and asked, “What’s that over there?”

He grinned and said in a quiet voice, “A Buzz Lightyear.”

Husband came in and I told Caedmon to go over and get Buzz. He was one happy boy!

Caedmon was so sweet and excited about Buzz. But he was thankful, too. He kept hugging me and saying sweetly, “I love Buzz, Momma. Thank you.” He can have a hundred Buzz Lightyears!

Honor liked her baby, too.

I had to get a photo of them with their “big” presents before we moved along. Honor wanted to play with Buzz too.

And then we had to get wiggly and goofy.

We opened our stockings next.

I got candy and Gorilla Tape in mine. The best that (3) gas stations have to offer at 3:30 Christmas morning.

Caedmon was next. He got lots of fun stuff, but I think his favorite was the photo album he gets every year.

Honor got some puffs in her stocking. They were a new thing for her, but a good choice. Sister loves puffs!

And Husband got some fun things in his stocking, along with the classic Chocolate Orange.

We ate PW’s Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, then the kids opened the rest of their gifts.

We spent the rest of the day lounging and playing. And y’all should be glad to know that Buzz saved the world about a thousand times that day. And many more times since then.

Caedmon has learned the “Buzz Lightyear face.”

I think we’re finally caught up on Christmas. Maybe. I might remember some more stuff later. Or find more pictures. I took 1200 pictures during December and as of today, I’ve taken about 25 for the month of January. I feel behind. Time to get caught up!