CHRISTMAS EVEThere was no shortage of excitement at our house on Christmas Eve. Rob and the kids spent some time wrapping gifts before we went out to look at Christmas lights, which many people take very seriously here. After dinner Haley and Jake opened their Special Christmas Eve Present and once again were surprised and excited to find new pajamas and slippers. I'm not sure how many 
more years they'll react that way...or how long we can get away with matching pajamas. Once they were finally asleep, Rob and I got to work on the assembly and battery installation. Some time after midnight we all settled down for a (not so) long winter's nap.
more years they'll react that way...or how long we can get away with matching pajamas. Once they were finally asleep, Rob and I got to work on the assembly and battery installation. Some time after midnight we all settled down for a (not so) long winter's nap.Here are the kids preparing Santa's milk and cookies - well, Haley prepared them and Jake ate them!
CHRISTMASChristmas morning was perfect this year. Haley didn't have the stomach flu (like last year), and Jake was old enough to catch on to the excitement. After opening our stockings together on our bed at 
5:30 am, the kids ran down the hall to see if Santa had come. Haley's face said it all, she was stunned. Jake ran straight for the guitars, and then the play shopping cart. Haley made a beeline for the ENORMOUS Dora tent that had topped her list. She and her new (slightly disturbing) Island Princess My Size Barbie spent the rest of the morning trading clothes in the tent - we had to keep reminding her to finish opening gifts.
5:30 am, the kids ran down the hall to see if Santa had come. Haley's face said it all, she was stunned. Jake ran straight for the guitars, and then the play shopping cart. Haley made a beeline for the ENORMOUS Dora tent that had topped her list. She and her new (slightly disturbing) Island Princess My Size Barbie spent the rest of the morning trading clothes in the tent - we had to keep reminding her to finish opening gifts. 
Left: Look at that face! And notice she's on her tip-toes. Below: The big, huge tent; Jake went straight to the bathroom when he opened his set of toy tools - the bathroom was the latest home-improvement project we'd worked on; Jake is thrilled with his new puppy - now this is a pet that I can handle!
One of my favorite moments, though, was seeing Haley literally hop up and down with anticipation as she gave Rob his present from her (the book, Pirates Don't Change Diapers). It was wonderful to watch her experience the joy of giving in the middle of all the receiving. All of us were truly spoiled by family and friends, and we wished we could have shared the day with you. DASH TO THE AIRPORT & OH-SO-FANCY CHRISTMAS DINNER
Once all the gifts were opened, we hurried to the Fargo airport (an hour away) because we were hoping to fly to St. George, Utah that evening to see Rob's family. We had purchased stand-by tickets from his cousin and the ridiculously cheap fares made the stand-by anxiety seem worthwhile. Unfortunately what looked like an open flight filled up at the last minute and we didn't make it out that night. Instead we wound up having Christmas dinner at a convenience store in Fargo, the only place we could find that was open. Haley was terribly sad to not make it to Grandma and Grandpa's that night, but perked up when she remembered all her new toys at home. We watched the flight loads all week for a promising opening, but didn't end up flying out until after Rob's birthday...
