Merry Christmas!!

As you may know if you've read my blog before, Matthew has taken to sleeping on the couch in the living room. Last night he fell asleep in the middle of watching Santa Clause 2 with us. I headed to bed about 1:30 and was laying in bed reading a bit. Yep, even that late at night I still had to get some reading in. It was about 1:55 when Matthew wandered sleepily into our room fo no apparent reason. I tucked him back in on his couch and lay on the other couch to make sure he went to sleep and didn't rip open the presents. He was mesmerized by the lights on the tree and spent probably 20 minutes just staring at the tree. I assume he fell asleep eventually, but I fell asleep on the couch before he did.

Fast forward to 6:30 a.m. when Matthew woke up. To his credit he asked me to come downstairs and put in a movie for him. I seriously expected him to want to open presents but he waited until about 7:45 when the other 3 got up. Then they dug into their stockings. That took all of 10 minutes. Next the kids charged upstairs, into our bedroom and woke up their father. Phil came stumbling out, barely awake and headed for the coffee while the kids dug into the presents. The hope was that we would take turns opening presents. Ummmm, that didn't really happen. They dug into presents as fast as they could find them. I loved watching their faces as they opened everything. They were just so excited - well not about the clothes they got, but certainly about the toys.

It was all over in probably 40 minutes. Our living room was strewn with empty boxes and wrapping paper everywhere. Breakfast was our traditional cinnamon rolls then I started work on lunch and even managed to sneak in a nap while they played.

Mom and dad Hahn came over for lunch and more presents. It was a simple, easy meal but everyone seemed to like it. Then a few more presents for the kids while the grownups rested and talked. It was a very relaxed, fun day! I loved spending time with everyone and not feeling stressed!!!

The day ended by Brett coming over wanting the kids to spend the night with him. Matthew and the girls packed a few things and headed for his house but Dave wanted to stay with us. So here it is almost midnight and I have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day with my family and a restful, relaxing evening with 2 of my favorite guys!

I admit that I was really worried about how this Christmas would go since Phil is still out of work. I knew we wouldn't be able to afford presents for the kids. But we were blessed beyond anything I expected! Friends and family gave us money, gift cards and presents for the kids (even a couple gifts for the grownups). It was truly amazing to see how many people reached out to help us through this holiday. God has given us a special group of family and friends and I am so grateful to all of you for your help, support, gifts, prayers and encouragement. I know I don't tell each of you individually how much you mean to me, but I do appreciate you (yes, you, the one reading this blog!!). Thank you for being a part of our lives!!!!!