MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

My favorite day of the year... I love Christmas. There have been Christmases that have begun at 3 am (thanks Jessica) when the kids were young, but I LOVE Christmas with teen-agers! Here is Christmas morning with the Smeds: Breanna (who would prefer to sleep in, but who is not because her body clock is still stuck on public-school schedule) wakes up, wanders around the living room at about 6:30, trying to see which presents are hers without turning on lots of lights. Following just behind is Kelle, who is generally an early riser. Daddy has already taken Maggie out four times in the night to go potty (or to wander the yard, looking for something to bark at, grrr), so he is awake but still in bed. When I asked him if he was awake, he said yes, because he had a bad dream. What was the dream, I ask. This is funny, now. Not funny to him. Ready for this? A band of Mexican (ok, PC version, Hispanic) terrorists stole his Corvette, and he had to chase them down by riding the train and hiding in one of the cars to get to where they were, but when he got the car, a wire to the turbos had come disconnected so he couldn't get away. He had to wait on the curb for his dad to bring him the extra keys, but his dad passed him once. He finally got the car and got away from the terrorists, but it made him a bit cranky when he awoke. He even had to go out to the garage to see if his car was still there. :)

Breanna can't wait any more, so she comes in and asks us if we are ready to get up. She goes down to wake the girls downstairs. Jessica was already up and had showered (it's only 7:00!) and Shiree was awake. We told them to wake Stu, and they grudgingly went to his room. (He's not usually a bundle of energy in the morning, and too much pestering can bring out his bear-like qualities...) But they got him up and we went in to the living room.

For years now we have had the tradition of beginning our Christmas morning with a prayer of thanks and recognition of the true Giver of gifts, and then Mom gets to hand out the gifts. (It should be her, since she planned, purchased, wrapped and arranged all the gifts, right?) So bless my lovely teenagers, our morning is relaxed and joyful. I have to say that I have some of the best teenagers on the planet. They are in no hurry to "get the goods", but are genuinely excited for the person whose turn it is. They ooh and aah, take pictures of each other, laugh, and insist that things get tried on (even B's footy pajamas) and modelled before moving on. They are pleasantly surprised when there is another present for themselves, always saying "I feel so spoiled" or "Wow, another one?" As a parent, it is SO rewarding to see them grow up into loving, kind, grateful, and compassionate people! We spent at least 2 hours unwrapping presents. (I said it was relaxed...) And Jessica's new standing jewelry armoire is nearly full of all her jewelry. Surprised?

The highlight of the morning was 2-fold. First was the reaction of Breanna and Stu when they went out to the garage to get a box for dad (wink, wink) and saw their pit bikes. Breanna squealed, and Stu said "YES!" They have been talking about having these mini dirt bikes since Stu's race Thanksgiving weekend, and were very surprised! The second highlight was Shiree. We waited til the very end, and took everyone outside to the barn to show "Dad" his last present. Thing is, everyone but Shiree knew that what was in the barn was the MONSTROUS bull elk that she shot 2 years ago that we finally got back. It is beautiful... scores 390 (which to those uneducated in the scoring of antlered animals equals a Boone & Crocket Record score.) He's huge. She had no idea that we were going to have him back, so the look of joy and surprise was genuine. She has a special Grandpa friend in the ward that was SO excited when she shot it. She tried calling him to come over and see it hanging in the barn, but he wasn't home. Oh, well. It's not going anywhere, so Rick can come over tomorrow.

We spent the afternoon watching a new movie that Stu got this morning, and then went to see Grandpa Smedley. He looked good today, and was pretty aware of all that was going on. He liked the blanket we made for him, and had a nice Christmas book about the Savior's life for us. He laid the blanket out over himself (with a little help) and started looking very comfortable and just a little bit sleepy!

Again, a wonderful day. My favorite day of the year. I am SOOOO blessed. The gospel, my Savior, a testimony, a good husband, wonderful kids, baby Aiden and his mommy, true friends, a lovely house, lots and lots and lots of good, marvelous, inspiring, phenomenal gifts. I would be so very ungrateful, especially on Christmas, not to acknowledge the goodness of a loving Heavenly Father and His oversight of our lives. We all have good health, love for each other, a knowledge of lasting ties with loved ones, and testimonies of the truth. What could be better? Merry Christmas!