How do you know Christmas is over? By looking around at all the fray laying around the floor. We had so much fun, although the unwrapping of the gifts was a little lost on Roman. He did enjoy all the goodies that just kept suddenly appearing....lol.

Abram kept asking if we were all watching him, and if we were going to snap anymore pictures of him, while he eagerly posed with each toy. It was hard to keep everyone focused, because although we open our gifts one at a time, once a gift was opened they were all consumed with getting it out of the package and talking about it.

We tried to keep the bag that was meant for wrapping paper accessible, and Isaiah was in charge of grabbing the tossed paper and tucking it in the bag so nothing important got lost in the pile of left over shredded paper. The boxes were just tossed over River's shoulder. I am always surprised at the small gifts that the boys still seem to appreciate. We made sure that each boy got a nerf gun full of extra ammunition, because what is Christmas without a nerf gun war, right? At least at our house....hehehe We make sure we disguise the Risk game somewhere under the tree, because even though we buy one each year, it gets used so much that it needs to be replaced by the next Christmas. So this is another tradition in our family. Everyone received miniature remote control cars, for there is enough competitiveness in this house to have them be raced up and down the kitchen and dining room floor for hours. Although the older boys' gifts are getting more expensive, its so nice to see them enjoying the small traditional toys that we drudge up for them each year.

I think  the most touching moment this year was to see what the boys bought Den and I, with their own money. It wasn't money that we gave them to spend on us this year, it was actually their own hard earned money. The boys surprised me with pj pants, socks with individual toes, frog slippers, a pink ball cap, and two beautiful 8x10 frames that I had been eyeing for a while now. Den received an XMradio for his work truck, a Washington Cougar hat, and Abram gave us Chico sticks....hehehe. You would have thought that was the best part of Christmas for them this year. Maybe it was.....after all, it is so much more fun to give than it is to recieve. You just hope that your children learn that at some point.

I have to admit , receiving ain't half bad either......