Merry Christmas!!!!!

Merry Christmas! I can't believe Christmas is here, and now almost over!! We had a great day today. We got to bed last night around 11pm, I think that is the earliest EVER!! Our girls kept trying to sneak a peak last night before we went to bed. (They are ages 8 and 10). Laren told them not to get up again before 6am. So they got up right at 6:00am!! Then they woke up Kyle and then waited until 7 to wake up Rilyn and Tyler. We really wanted Tyler to sleep as long as possible since he has not been napping well lately resulting in a tired, grumpy baby!!
Laren and I were awakened at 6, thanks to Kayla and Alyssa but we laid in bed for as long as possible!! After getting dressed, we ate our 60 second Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls and Orange Juice. Yes, we make our kids get dressed and eat breakfast before opening presents. With little ones, if they don't do it beforehand, they will go without and will be grumpy the rest of the day!!
Then we read from Luke 2. Of course our kids wanted to get right to the unwrapping but we missed the chance to read from Luke 2, as we always do, the account of our Savior's Birth, so we seized the opportunity on Christmas Morning - this morning!!
Finally we got down to business and started opening gifts!! It was a good Christmas, but I could not help but think that we over did it. Next year, I really would like to stick to 3 gifts per person!! Problem is, I always start out with good intentions and then I find a good deal or something we need, etc...
Some highlights of what we got:
Laren got a laptop, bluetooth headset for his Blackberry, some new clothes, a new clamp/tool, etc...
I got an under the counter tv/dvd/cd player for the kitchen (I like to watch Oprah or the news but that is during the time I make dinner, so hopefully I will now be able to do both simultaneously!) I also got some new clothes, dvd's, bath and body stuff, jewelry, a weather station (to tell the weather in my own backyard), perfume, etc...
Kayla got an I-Dog, new clothes, jewelry, craft kits, some tall black boots, a Dance Mat, games, etc...
Alyssa got an I-Dog, Gameboy game, clothes, jewelry, Digi-Makeover, an interactive plush dog, games, etc...
Kyle got a Rokenbok set, a Dart Tag set, a Remote Control Hovercraft, Gameboy game, paint set, Spin Toy, a scooter, etc...
Rilyn got a Spark Art Easel, some My Little Ponies, a Cabbage Patch baby, some clothes, Pet Shop Amusement Park set, etc...
Tyler got Bristle Blocks, Playskool Triple Track Race Car Set, a toy cell phone, cars, book, clothes, etc...
The family got a new computer, a new game table, a new 8" portable DVD player and case, and some new games (board games).
***Incidentally, the Rokenbok has been the most played with toy, so far (by all the kids!!! It was the number 1 rated educational toy for boys ages 6-8 on msnbc. And that is proving to be a popular choice in our family as well!!