Christmas Day!!!

Having old kids is nothing like having young kids on Christmas Day. We slept until we naturally awoke ( OK so it was still 6:30 am )... But Bruce and I actually woke the kids up! We passed out all of the gifts methodically and when everyone had their pile, we deviated from the youngest to oldest rule and reversed it. Bruce opened his gifts first.

He had never given me the chance to wrap his big gift. I got him an air compressor which he has been using since it came home 2 weeks ago. My favorite gift for him, the one I was so excited about... was BOAT CARDS!!... He loved them! He's so hard to surprise but this year I did it!

Next it was my turn... does this look like an OMG moment? It's because Bruce did such a fabulous job of gifting this year. Ever since we met, I've been dragging him around the shops near Christmas time showing him things I'ld love to see under the tree to no avail. This year, I had seen this set of 6 wine glasses in an antique store and really wanted them. I didn't buy them for myself. He went back to the store and got them for me. He wrapped only one so there was no way I guessed what it was. I was so happy!!!

I got an MP3 player to use at the gym and many other really cool gifts. The kids got me accessories for the MP3. I won the prize for "best gifts received".

Throughout all of the unwrapping little Layla kept the cats entertained. My spoiled kitties certainly had other plans for the holiday besides putting up with the likes of Brittney's little Pom. She just wanted to be their friend...

We always give the kids cold hard cash. It's the gift that never has to be returned or exchanged.

This year I added some bubblegum "coal" for good measure.

Our big gift to the kids was to pay for airline tickets for them to go with us on a Sailboat charter in the British Virgin Islands this coming June. They knew about the tickets and that there wouldn't be a whole lot else this year. I used Snapfish to create personalized 2009 Calendars for us all with everyone in our family's birthdays, anniversaries, etc.. I used pictures from past BVI trips to fill the days we'll be there.

I also put pictures of each family member on their day from those taken at this year's celebrations. Brittney howled when she saw the pictures! I think my idea was a hit!

Very soon all of the gifts were open and we were each going back over our loot. Nothing left but the mess...

We cleaned it all up and set to work making a quick breakfast. The kids wanted to go out to their Grandpa Jerry's house for a visit before we began our dinner preparations. This worked out well for Bruce and as he had recently received a racing blade for Elan which he needed to run up for size.