christmas 2014

It was noisy.

It was chaotic.

It was wonderful.

And the best part? Having this little one home.

Be still my heart. To have her here, with us this year, was the greatest gift we could have ever imagined.

But the kids wanted toys, too For some crazy reason.

Tallula got a Frozen snuggle-thing.

Whose one-size-fits-all sizing is evidently for much larger kids. But with Elsa’s face on the front, does it really matter?

Vivienne got the Bright Eyes Kitty.

There were 3 Bright Eyes designs and 4 of my girls wanted one.

Lula lost.

Thankfully Lula is easy-going and honestly, I think she’d forgotten she ever wanted a Bright Eyes blanket.

More Frozen stuff, even for the boys.

Jude asked for Olaf. But got Sven because Olaf was sold out. He was okay with the substitution.

Violet – either sleeping or trying to shut out the chaos – snuggled on Vivi’s kitty blanket as soon as it hit the floor.

Shepherd’s list consisted of all things Nerf. And that is what he got.

I guess when you’re 8 it really is Nerf or nothin’.

And Isabelle was beyond happy with her not-quite-Brave bow and arrow.

More Nerf. Even for the big boys.

Their lists consisted of all things Nerf and American Eagle.

*play break*

A benefit of a family is that you get to play with other people’s toys (and it’s not considered stealing).

A benefit of a big family is that you get to play with a lot of other people’s toys.

Poppy got the puppy version of the Bright Eyes blanket.

You can tell by her jammies she’s pretty into dogs lately.

Sophie, even at 10, still loves her some Beanie Boos.

I have to admit, I love them too. And will happily buy them for her no matter how old she is.

A girl is never too old for stuffed animals.

Dalton received a mustache from Jude.

Makes me wonder what all they offer in that Santa Shop at Jude’s school.

Clementine, perplexed. Not sure if it was the mustache or the fact that the present opening portion of Christmas was over.

But she’s adorable, even when perplexed.

Asher looking for an unsuspecting target, so he might deliver some Christmas cheer.

And Noah wondering, “I see a kitchen. Where is the food?”

The mustache made it’s rounds. And we all laughed until our sides hurt.

Just one more indicator of how seamlessly Clementine has fit into our family. She thought having a funny-shaped piece of faux fur stuck to her upper lip was pretty funny, too.

Ahhh, the beautiful post-Christmas mess.

Clementine’s favorite was her LeapFrog iPod.
Tallula’s favorite was her pots and pans.
Poppy’s favorite was her Bright Eyes puppy.
Vivienne’s favorite was the kitchen.
Shepherd’s favorite was his Mega Magnus Nerf Gun.
Jude’s favorite was Jenga.
Isabelle’s favorite was GoldieBlox.
Sophie’s favorite was her Beanie Boos.
Dalton’s favorite was his jeans.
Asher’s favorite was his Zombie Strike Nerf Gun.
(Zach and Victoria were in Texas but are on the way home today. Yay!)

And, as always, everyone enjoyed the candy.

In all it’s various forms.

It was noisy.

It was chaotic.

But it really was wonderful.

Hope your Christmas was wonderful, too.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – James 1:17