Hayden and Maya's Christmas

Here are some pictures of Christmas morning at the Salway house. First of all, my kids slept in until 8am. Probably the only day that has ever happened. (of all days) We spent Christmas eve at my in-laws house eating appetizers, singing Christmas songs, playing BUNKO, having a talent show and doing the nativity. They even invited the neighbor across the street to come and play the bag pipes. That was very cool...AND LOUD! Then the kids opened their presents from Grandma and Grandpa Salway. Hayden got the Grand Central Station Geo Tracks set, which he was super excited about. And Maya got a little stroller for her baby dolls. She loves it! I don't know if it's just womanly instinct, but she knows exactly what to do with a baby. She pushes the baby around in the stroller, but only if she's bundled up tight in her blanket. She brings the baby over to me with the baby's blanket and I swaddle the baby up tight. She feed the baby the bottle, talks to the baby, and...sometimes throws the baby. Oh well, she has most of it right.

So, we got home pretty late on Christmas Eve to find that Santa had left us Pajamas and a note. Hayden was so tired he did not care at all. We put his PJ's on him and told him to set out the cookies for Santa. We put our PJ's on, and then couldn't find Hayden. He was asleep in his bed already. Poor kid! So, Eric and I set out the cookies and milk.


On Christmas morning, the kids were so excited about their gifts. Hayden got a Smart Cycle and Maya got a little play house (not really a house, more of a doorway). Both kids loved their gift, and each other's gift. Hayden and Maya switched presents about 20 min. into Christmas. It was so cute. Maya is also in to jewelry, so Santa brought her some plastic Christmas jewelry. It was a fun morning. Some other favorite gifts were: A new baby doll for Maya, Transformers for Hayden, and some fun games from Discovery Toys.

This was the first Christmas since I was young that I was so excited it was hard to sleep. When you have children, the joy is definitely in the giving. I love seeing their excited eyes and smiles. They love the simple little gifts they get (Hayden's whoopi cushion is played with EVERYDAY) and it's so cute seeing them play and get excited about each other's presents. It's more fun now than before I had children.

Best Christmas Ever!...For me, at least.

This year my presents were all wrapped and numbered 1-5 under the tree and each had an envelope attached. Eric outdoes me every year. He always gets me exactly what I wanted, but really never asked for. This year I didn't ask for much. Just a new crock pot, some clothes. He went above and beyond!

I opened present #1 and found an alarm clock. He had written a poem (that was what was in the envelopes) to go with each present. Here is the first poem:

Christmas is here and the wrapping is through
And your presents all focus on the betterment of you!
So open each one, just one at a time
And discover the mysteries inside that you'll find.

This first gift will help you jump up in a whim
To quickly get dressed and then off to the gym.

The second gift was some perfume that I've been wanting from Bath and Body Works.

Once you're all hot and sweaty you must hurry home,
To shower and dress before Maya can groan.
This perfume will help you to keep smelling great,
And to make me think often of wanting to mate! (That's my husband, for ya.)

Then, the third gift was a microdermabrasion facial from a spa.

Even though I don't agree, I often hear you complain
That the wrinkles are coming and the sun is to blame.
So, you're off to the spa for some Microdermabrasion
To end the relentless wrinkle invasion.

OK. And, the next gift was so sweet, though the poem is not...I am debating about typing it. It's pretty funny.

Once you are dressed don't forget this last thing
For you won't be complete without your wedding ring.
I believe it is time to look married once more
So when you're with the kids people won't think you're a _____.(rhymes with "more")

My wedding ring has not fit since I had Hayden. It is very sad. I had asked a couple of times to get it resized, but it never happened. This gift was a total shock to me. I started crying. I love this ring! I forgot that I even owned a wedding ring, I so used to not wearing it. Now I can't stop looking at my hand. You can't see it very well in this picture, but trust me, it is gorgeous!

The last gift he gave me was Memory Mixer for digital scrapbooking

Now that I've helped you achieve signs of beauty

Scrapbooking them will become your next duty.

We've created so many wonderful memories

And I can't wait to see how each one will be.

I love you so much and am so excited for you to see

How awesome and fun this next present will be

For each gift I've given all leads up to one,

So take a deep breath, close your eyes, here it comes!!!!

So, he all of the sudden pulls out this small box, only about an inch wide. I unwrap it to find the boat piece from the monopoly game. Then, he hands me this picture of a cruise boat! That's right!! He is taking me on a cruise!! We leave on April 28th. This was really the best Christmas surprise ever. He sure knows how to give surprises.