And Finally, The Christmas Stockings

After all of our gifts were opened, the very last surprises were in the kids' stockings.  Along with the nutritious oranges and new toothbrushes, there was plenty of chocolate.  It was a great ending to a very special Christmas!

Our Dog Lucky

Lucky also enjoyed Christmas morning.  After watching and patiently waiting for everyone to open all of their gifts, it was finally his turn.  He got a bone, new toys, and even some gifts from Santa!

The Joy of Giving and Receiving

We tried really hard this first holiday season to help the kids understand the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  They understood that we were celebrating Jesus's birth, and we read the Christmas story many times throughtout December.  They learned that we give gifts to each other, out of the love we have for one another, just like the three wise men gave to Baby Jesus that special night. 

After opening up the gifts from Santa, the kids enjoyed opening up gifts from us, Grandma and Grandpa, and other family and friends.  We had a very realaxing day and really enjoyed each other.

It's Time To Ride New Bikes!

The kids got a lot of nice gifts from family, friends, and Santa.  They loved them all, but one of their favorite gifts were new bikes from Grandma and Grandpa.  They couldn't wait to ride them, and this was their first time. 

Santa Came!

The kids were so excited Christmas morning and couldn't wait to see all of the gifts.  Celebrations are important in our family, and we always try and make them very special.  So, we wanted to make the kids' first Christmas here a special one.  Here is a video of their first look on Christmas morning.

The first thing they did was check to see if Santa ate his cookies and drank his milk.  They were so excited to see that it was all gone! 

 

After checking out the plate of cookies they left for Santa, the kids found the gifts Santa had left for them.

A Very Merry Christmas

We all had a very Merry Christmas, and the kids did really well.  In order to make sure the kids didn't run into Santa in the middle of the night, we had a slumber party in our room!  The kids all got new sleeping bags, which they had never heard of before.  After changing into their Christmas pajamas and setting out cookies and milk for Santa, everyone settled in their new sleeping bags for popcorn and a Christmas movie.

Christmas Lights and Horse and Carriage Rides

We all went to a special Christmas event called Glendale Glitters, which is very close to our house.  There are lots of lights to walk around and see, and it definitely put us in the Christmas spirit.  The highlight of the night was to go on a horse and carriage ride to see all of the Christmas lights.  With each activity that we have done this season, we tell the kids next year we will do the same thing.  We want them to know over and over again that our family is forever and they are very very loved.

Cookies for Santa

The kids really enjoyed making all sorts of Christmas cookies.  They loved putting cookies on a special plate and setting it out with some milk by the Christmas tree for Santa.  They were so excited to see, on Christmas morning, that the cookies had been eaten and the milk was all gone.  We loved watching Christmas through their eyes!

A Christmas Tradition

The kids have one tradition they have always done at Christmas time.  They have always put a manger under the Christmas tree, and then, they place Baby Jesus in it on Christmas Eve.  We got a pretty wooden manger and cross at our church this year.  So, the cross was used to represent Baby Jesus.  Before going to bed, the kids carried the cross to the tree, and placed it in the manger.  The other thing that the kids were used to was to stay up all night on Christmas Eve.  In Colombia, they celebrated Christmas all night and then slept on Christmas Day.  Although we didn't let them stay up all night, we really want to preserve any traditions they have had before joining our family.

Christmas Eve

We had a very nice Christmas this year, and we think the kids really enjoyed the holiday.  Although there is still a lot of transition and changes for us all, the kids continue to get more settled into our family everyday.  It is hard to believe that during last year's Christmas celebrations, we only had pictures of our three kids. 

 

We started our Christmas Eve time as a family by first going to church.  The kids really like church, and we are so thankful they do.  It has always been our family tradition to go out to dinner at a Chinese food restaurant after Christmas Eve church service.  So, this year, we went to P.F. Chang's for a nice dinner together.  Another family tradition we have always had, since I was a little girl, is to open one present on Christmas Eve.  The present was always a pair of new pajamas for Christmas morning.  So, we continued the tradition with our kids.  They were so surprised that they were going to open a present and loved it.  Now it was time to go to bed and wait for Santa Claus to come!