Merry CHRISTmas indeed.

A family sleepover is one of the Christmas activities I've seen friends do and though it would be fun to do. Next year. It wasn't under the tree, it wasn't planned and it was a bit of a nightmare. Mason was in his rocker by the side of the bed, Buddy and I were teetering on our respective sides and Teagan slept like a starfish in the middle. She slept so comfortably, in fact, that she was the last one up.

I would have outlasted her if it hadn't been for Mason's blowout. On the bright side, I got to see just how chubby he is getting and had a good excuse to put on his Merry Christmas onesie.

At 8:20, Teagan finally struggled down the stairs and immediately perked up seeing the presents from Santa stacked in neat piles in front of the tree.

"Santa comed and bringed us presents!" she exclaimed as she turned the corner and the tree came into view. And he ate the milk and cookies we left for him - she was so pleased.

She had asked Santa for a teddy bear. We tried to confirm several times that a bear was indeed what she wanted from Santa, and she told everyone who asked (including Santa himself) that she wanted to teddy bear. It was so heartwarming to see her reaction when she opened it: "That's what I just needed! That's what I just needed for Christmas!" and when prodded, she said "Fank you." It was such a tender moment. And it warmed my heart that she asked for such a simple gift and was so excited to receive it. This may be the only year it happens.

We took turns opening gifts. Most of us had Teagan's help. I wish I'd wrapped empty boxes this year as all she seemed to want to do was open things and move on. We were very good this year and each got some really fun gifts that we're thankful for. Highlights include (but are not limited to)

Buddy: a textbook corresponding with a certification course he's wanted to take, Thor T-shirt, bacon and eggs Christmas ornament and DVDs (he doesn't ask for much)

Michelle: a Kitchenaid (am I the last person on earth to get one of these? Also, Brandon is upset that I haven't already put it to use), Sleep, sweet photo frame and Terry's chocolate oranges

Teagan: Lalaloopsy dolls, Play-Doh ice cream maker, Doc McStuffins dolls and doodle pad and more chocolate than she should ever eat

Mason: Air Jordan booties, bath toys, movies we wanted to see and oversized keys Teagan couldn't resist jangling in his face

Family: Killer Bunnies, an awesomely complicated game we can't wait to play with Tara & Eric and Zingo, a cute version of Bingo I've yet to win

Like I said, we were very good this year. Thanks to everyone who sent us presents!

 Chuck and Brenda gave me the gift of sleep. A beautiful sentiment indeed. I'm looking at you, Mason!

And I'm going to have to tell Santa to boycott the Dollar Store for stockings next year. I wonder if Doc McStuffins could fix this one. Diagnosis: missingpieceosis. Teagan was more than a little disappointed when she sat down to put the puzzle together. We'll have to put that one in the Big Book of Boo Boos.

We opened presents for a while, taking our time (which one member of our family - not who you'd think - thought was pretty lame) trying to drag out the fun as long as possible since there wasn't much else for us to do after we'd opened all our presents. In a stroke of genius (and/or laziness) we decided to prep breakfast last night and Brandon, for a third time, hit a homerun with his Overnight Caramel Sticky Buns. Drool. This may be a new tradition (although Brandon sorely missed his Dad's famous Christmas Morning hash browns.)

We played with the things we opened, some of us napped (again, not who you'd think) and generally enjoyed one another's company. We Skyped/FaceTimed with our families and shared some holiday laughs. Boy, we missed them. The Giffords took pity on us again this year (they had us over for Christmas Dinner in 2011 when we were alone as well) and opened their home and fondue pots to us. Incredible. The Melting Pot has nothing on Casa de Gifford. We fondued shrimp, chicken, steak, mushrooms, zucchini, hot dogs, they'd made tempura in which I slathered everything and tons of dipping sauces to tickle our tastebuds. We love them. We played a few games and stuffed ourselves with mint brownies (it's a good thing we walked over) and dragged ourselves away, since Brandon had to be at work in the morning. No Boxing Day celebrations for us.

We hugged our kids tight, cherishing our time together on this beautiful day. I thought of the Baby Jesus as I held my sweet newborn (sidenote, how long can I get away with calling him a newborn?) and thought about his potential and what my son will accomplish while he's here on earth. As we watched and read and discussed Christ's birth, Teagan kept comparing Him to Mason. While slightly sacrilegious, it was sweet to hear her talking about Mason in terms of being special and the fact that they both "comed out their mommy's tummy." Yes, I suppose that is true.

This was the first Christmas Teagan has really appreciated anything about the holiday. From Santa to presents and especially The Nativity, it's been so much fun to see Christmas through the eyes of a child and to have renewed excitement for all of the wonderful things and feelings we experience this time of year. Although I am looking forward to not hearing "Is it Christmas yet?" every morning.

This Christmas, we've made a special effort to focus on the birth of the Saviour and it has made all the difference in our little family's celebration. Thinking about His birth, life and mission has meant a deeper appreciation for Heavenly's Father's love for us and better recognition of the fact that we are all children of God and He loves us perfectly. I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ, and for Mary's sacrifice and Joseph's support in bringing Him into the world to save it. Merry CHRISTmas.

God bless us, everyone.