Merry Christmas!

Mike and I were up so late last night finishing the last gingerbread houses that we were too tired to make sure everything looked perfect in the front room. This is how everything looked when we went to bed. Not horrible, but still messy on the table.

This is how everything looked when I woke up. Have I mentioned I love having Maysen home from college?

Maysen was the first one up. We waited a long time before Mike and I went and woke up the other three. Since when has sleeping been more enticing than Christmas? Weirdos. Maysen is wearing her new Christmas jammies. They look just like her. I was happy with everyone's jammies except Stockton. I went to three stores looking for him. Everything was either too small or too big. I finally had to take the only thing available. They look like old person jammies. Haha. Poor Stockton. He is a good sport.

Maysen

Maysen got an electric pencil sharpener from Santa. She was so happy about that. She also got a game we used to play called 'Ziggity'. That was hard to find! Also, a binder a sheet protectors was on her list as well as socks. She is low maintenance. I usually give her next semester books to her for Christmas, but we had been talking about maybe changing her schedule. I decided to wait on that. I'll still give her her books though. Jorja had Maysen's name for Christmas and gave her a grilled cheese griddle and a flash drive with reference pictures.

Maysen

Santa gave Preston One Night Ultimate Werewolf sleeves. He was happy with that. Preston's presents from us were mostly parts for things he can make with his dad. For example, two computer screens and different computer stuff so they can make dueling stations. Stockton had Preston's name and made him a computer game. They played that most of the day. The also worked more on it. Stockton had it to work with the keyboard. They spent the day making it work with a controller as well. Preston loved it.

 Preston

Jorja got a hairdryer from Santa. She laughed and said she was going to ask for one but forgot. Maybe Santa noticed that the hairdryer she was using was held together with duct tape? Jorja also got the rest of the Hank Smith collection. She's gotta be his number one fan. Jorja's big presents from us were just notes saying what we were going to give her. We got her an Alta blanket with her name on it. I ordered that back in August. I had been told last week that they were going to cancel the order because the blankets weren't coming in. A few days ago they called me to say they actually had them. I could come and pick them up so she could open the blanket, or leave it there and get it in January so it could be embroidered with her name. I chose to leave it because then the embroidery would actually get done. The other gift we gave Jorja was hair styling lessons with a girl in our ward named Kelsee. Jorja has been asking me to teach her how to do different things with her hair. Ummmmm. I know leaving it straight and putting it in a pony tail. That's about all I got. Kelsee is amazing. She is going to beauty school right now and told me to schedule appointments there. That way she can get hours in while she teaches Jorja. Preston had Jorja's name for Christmas and got her a cookbook of things you can make with cake mixes. Jorja loves doing that. He got her muffin pans and a spatula as well.

 Jorja

Stockton's Santa gift was an electric razor. I'm not sure how thrilled he was with that! We gave him a card for him to pick out bowling shoes or a ball, if he wants. We weren't sure if he would like that or not. It is almost the end of his bowling season. We also gave him a Crambone shirt. Haha. Weeks ago when Mike asked him what he wanted, without even thinking about it he said 'Crambone shirt'. So..... Mike found one. Stockton's biggest present was Mike made modifications to the ping pong scoreboard. He made it so Mike Tyson Punch Out music is playing while the game is going. Also, when you push the button it makes different sounds. He also has the scoreboard knowing about 'skunk'. It will say game point if the score is 6-0. On game point the music changes to more intense music. It is the music that plays when you get knocked down and have to stand back up in the Punch Out game. Anyway, it is funny and Stockton loved it. Maysen had Stockton's name for Christmas. She got him two different shirts. She loved the designs. One was a cool looking spiny shell from Mario Kart and the other was a cube root t-shirt.

 Stockton

I gave Mike a nice new pillow. Ours are getting thrashed. Mike gave me season tickets to Hale Center Theater. He gave me three tickets so we can take one of the kids when we go. That will be fun! I'm excited! He did tell me that if I didn't make him go to Newsies he wouldn't make me go to Wizard of Oz. Haha. Sounds like a plan! Brett and Rachel had our name for Christmas. They gave Mike pirate socks and me flag socks. Rachel told me earlier that she wasn't too thrilled with our gift, but Brett insisted on it saying, "I always give Stephanie socks." Hahahahahaha! That is true and I love it!

Mike and Maysen

Lisa and Nathan sent us a book. Gingerbread Pirates. Could there be anything more perfect? Not only was it a cool name, but the book was good too. The pictures were beautiful and the story was good. It said it was a boy version of the Nutcracker. Too bad we didn't open this last night when we were looking for a good book to read on Christmas Eve.

Mike reading Gingerbread Pirates

Stockton's new scoreboard

My dad came over and brought a few presents. He gave us a bound book of his blog, which was pretty cool. He also gave us a flash drive of him reciting some of his favorite poems. I can't wait to see that! It came with a book called "Gunga Din and Other Favorite Poems" by Rudyard Kipling. He even wrote a poem to go with it.

Merry Christmas to All

I know this book is old,

But the poems inside are gold.

My favorite's twenty-seven:

It's how to get to heaven.

My next is fifty-nine:

The thoughts are most sublime.

This thumb-drive's state of the art

Where I say those poems by heart.

Is there more you want to know?

See Blog One and Seven and Oh.

Poem number 27 is Gunga Din. I tried reading it and my dad took the book away. He said I was butchering it. Haha! Poem number 59 is called If---

My dad also gave the kids a card with money. Preston got a cool magnet thing instead. I don't know how to explain it, but he loves it. I want to play with it too. Kind of like tiny magnet stress relievers. Max brought up some candy for Preston as well. Stockton played me dad in ping-pong while he was here. Max and my dad played that for awhile. Pretty fun.

Soon after my dad left, Mike's dad came over. Wow! Both grandparents on our Christmas day. I don't think that has ever happened before. Scoop brought bags with socks and JCPenney gift cards. The girls also got hair ties. Each of us got a DNA kit to send to ancestry.com. That will be interesting. We'll have to get those mailed away when we get back from Idaho.

Preston, Jorja, Mike, Scoop, Maysen, Stockton

We went to the Waddoups house at 6:30 to have pizza. After we went caroling with the other families that did the 12 days of Christmas. Our singing leaves much to be desired, but it was still fun. Mike and I delivered the rest of the gingerbread houses we had. This is what Luke's house turned out like. I might just go with this frosting from now on. 

Gavin and his dad came over. We showed them the scoreboard. Stockton played a few rounds with Nate. Gavin gave Stockton a cool Christmas ornament that he got in Holland. He also gave Jorja a beaded bracelet he made. After he left Stockton and Jorja were talking about how Gavin one-upped them in presents. They gave him Preston's stuffed hedgehog. Haha. Gavin had told them a story long ago about how his mom sold his hedgehog on KSL because he didn't play with it enough. Jorja and I looked and looked for a hedgehog, but couldn't find one. She remembered Preston had one. He wasn't thrilled about giving it up. I asked him if he had played with it in the last year. He had not. I asked when the last time he played with it was. He said probably on the day he got it. Stockton came down when we were talking and said, "You're going to Gavin Preston's hedgehog?" Preston was walking down the hall and called out, "Because I didn't play with it enough!" Hahahahaha! That kid makes me laugh!