Merry Christmas!

Even though the only decorations that made it out of the box this year were the Christmas lights, a set of snowman salt and pepper shakers, and one nativity...I think this has been one of my favorite Christmases!

As a family we decided that this year we would each get one gift each, and then we would be "Secret Santas" to another family. It was so much fun seeing the boys get excited as they figured out what the perfect gifts would be for this family.

Connor was lucky and found the gift he wanted to give while he was out shopping with friends on "Black Friday," but poor Tanner had to wait for Eli or I to be available to take him shopping. I had a report due to the American Bar Association by December 20th. It ended up being a LOT bigger then I anticipated, so I worked several late nights, which meant no shopping for Tanner. He and I did manage to get to the store one Saturday, but suddenly realized I'd left my wallet at home, so this was going to be a "planning" trip. Tanner was able to show me a few things he would like for himself and also figure out what would be the perfect gift for his friend. Finally on Monday, he made it back to the store with Eli and was able to make his purchase. Of course the first thing he did when he got home was wrap the gifts!

Yesterday it was so fun listening to the boys plot how to go about delivering the gifts without getting caught. Where should we park, what if their curtains were open, and which get away route would be best. Watching their excitement as we loaded the gifts into the car and all climbed in, because no one wanted to be left home, was contagious...it was good to see my two favorite boys caught up in the true spirit of Christmas!