First of all, thank you all for your lovely well wishes and gifts.  The boys truly enjoyed their 27 days of Christmas and can’t understand that presents don’t come every day.  You see, Malina is a wonderful German au pair and in German tradition, she made an advent calendar for the boys.  Starting on the December 1^st, the boys got to open one little present a day.  Malina’s mom Elizabeth also sent the boys chocolate advent calendars.  A piece of chocolate and a present a day.  Heaven!

The grandparents, former au pairs and adopted grandparents (Kathy, Carl, and Helen) all came through too lots of gifts. (Carl – thank you for not eating all of my Tim Tams.)  We opened presents with my parents on Christmas Eve and with Laura and Malina Christmas morning.  We skyped with the Michigan grandparents: Loren, Zaidee, Chris and Don on Christmas.  Some more gifts were opened later that day, the boys received their new train table on the 26^th, and then we made the big push to be done with all the gifts on the 27^th because the boys were starting to expect gifts every day.  They are now going through withdrawal and compiling their 2012 Christmas lists.    It’s been a whirl wind of activity and we are just now calming down from it.

Cute stories include the night before Christmas.  The boys were very wound up and I should not have attempted church with them.  They did not want to sit still and the sermon, traditionally very short went on forever.  Dexter could not understand why he sat through church and did not get a donut at the end.  We then went home and after running around like little mad men, we sent them to bed.  Santa doesn’t come if you are awake.  Over the monitor we could hear over and over again “Shhhh – go to sleep.  Santa won’t come if we are awake.”  Followed by, “Mommy!  Nicky said Santa won’t bring me any presents!”  This phrase was traded back and forth for a good 20 minutes.

The next morning, they woke up early and thus it begins.  I remember doing the same to my mom too.  Laura woke up for the opening of stockings and no matter how much Nicholas yelled at Malina to get up, that Santa had come, she fell back asleep.  They wanted to unwrap everyone’s present, that is, until they found a good one and then there weren’t interested in anything else.

Oh Gina, your mom talked me into recommending the WOW toys as gifts for the boys.  She neglected to mention that they sound like jet engines when zoomed over the floor.  Have you found a way to put mufflers on Felix’s truck yet?  If so, please let me know.

All in all, it was a great Christmas.  Please enjoy the picture show.

Oh, and I almost forgot – Malina and Laura put on a German/Aussie Christmas Eve food fest for Ryan, my parents, and us.  It was absolutely fabulous.  You both are welcome to cook anytime.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and fun filled holiday.