And Christmas Day

Both Bentley and Olivia woke up at 7:15 Christmas morning, and so the festivities began! Livs drank her bottle on her daddy's lap and the three of us watched Bentley unveil each little treasure from his stocking.

the early risers on Christmas morning
(please ignore Livvie's gross, snotty nose...but now you won't because I wrote that...)

Cares came wandering into the living room about an hour later and we all did the same thing, watching her examine each find. Bentley had a hard time with this idea and kept trying to "help" her dig through her stocking. Let's just say he has much less patience with girl stuff and just wanted to see what all of it was in a matter of minutes and then move on to the big stuff under the tree.

Which we eventually did. It is so fun to have both a son and daughter--I love how they adore and desire such totally different things. Bentley wanted to open his gift of "something to wear" first because he knew it wouldn't be any fun. And yet Cares has been dying to open her gift with clothes in it because she has been super excited to see them and wear them. She was dressed in her new digs exactly 10 seconds after she opened her present. Bentley's big gift was a Leapster which he loves. Cares big gift was a Barbie and The 3 Musketeers dress-up dress which she looks adorable in. Olivia was asleep during most of the gift opening (back down for her morning nap) but she has a new stroller/walker awaiting her when she decides she's ready to walk.

We spent the rest of the day at my in-laws' house for a delicious breakfast, gift giving and receiving, Ticket to Ride (boardgame) and a nonsense animal game Maggie made all of us play, a huge Christmas dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu and rice pilaf, lots of talking and laughing, and hours on end of cousin play time. Cares has 3 girl cousins who are all her same age and they disappeared together for almost the entire afternoon. There was a lipgloss fiasco at the end of it all (Cares' ruined a brand new turtleneck...good thing she has so many others to wear :) but they had so much fun playing and pretending together, tucked away in the play room.

Grandkid gift time at Nanny's house

Olivia loved her new sock puppy and squealed and squealed with delight over it. She totally stole the show, and everyone's hearts I might add, with her little display :)

Baby Finch is such a darling, chubby mush that I just had to post this picture of him.
Cheeks to die for, am I right?

We made it home around 6 pm that evening and all of us got ready for bed and hit the sack early. And by early I mean 10:30 pm for my hubby and me...which is as early as we have gone to bed in about 6 months. It was a very merry Christmas.