Klingenmaier Christmas 2013

Last Saturday was our final day of the 2013 holiday season as we spent Christmas with my family.  That day, after enjoying the early morning with Mom and Dad, we headed over to Aaron & Erika's in the late morning and then enjoyed time including lunch, presents, naps, fun, dinner and more fun.  It was a great day as a family and well worth the wait to have Mom there with us!

Grandma getting her snuggles on with Asher

My little piggy, overstuffed with melon

Family lunch with Mom's AMAZING lasagna!

Caleb scoping out the presents

Asher thoroughly enjoying their drum...which they let him bring home!  :)

Micah

Grandma & Grandpa K with all the boys

Eric & Asher checking out his stocking

Grandma K checking out her stocking

Papa K checking out his stocking

Asher test driving his new truck

Emma opening her gift from Grandma & Papa

Hudson with his new John Deere outfit.

& matching socks!

Asher was very lucky to receive a ton of new books to amp up his library!

Although it may not be noticeable from the picture collection above, for the past few years now we have agreed to keep gift giving to a minimum.  For the most part, adults are not supposed to exchange gifts (although Mom & Dad do stockings for all of us...and tend to ignore our rules of gift giving in general, and we big kids do stockings for them as well).  The kids have entirely different rules though.  Grandma and Grandpa are basically allowed to do whatever they want, and then our family and Aaron & Erika's family also do gifts for the kids.  For us, I was not sure what to get the 3 boys.  Hudson ended up with a sweatshirt to match Asher's, a small lovie and a book.  Caleb & Micah were harder to decide on gifts.  Since they are already loaded with toys, I wanted to get them something different that would allow creativity, but not break the bank.  I ended up getting the idea of a Fort Making Kit on Pinterest (click here or here for the examples I looked at) and went for it.  

I bought a King size set of sheets in green to be used for the fort (using only the sheet and a pillow case to make a bag to house everything).  I then sewed loops and ties on the sheet from blue and green ribbon so that the fort sheet could be hooked and tied onto whatever was around the fort-making area (one site I looked at called for ties, one for loops, so being the indecisive person I am, I did both).  Then Eric and I got a lantern for each boy, some clips for reinforcements and some rope (I did feel guilty giving a 2 & 4 year old rope, but I stressed it is only for adult supervision!) to support the fort.  I was not sure what Micah and Caleb would think of the gift, or the fact that they had one gift for the two of them, but thankfully it seemed to go over well and make them happy!  ;)

When it came time to for Asher to open his gift from Aaron, Erika and the boys, he was VERY spoiled!!!  He ended up getting an awesome Rudolph hooded towel (specially made by Erika), some books and a two other small gifts, one picked out by Micah and the other by Caleb.  It was way more than necessary, but he seemed to love everything!  Asher getting the gifts from the boys was also a highlight to my day, as both of them were VERY excited to give their gift to Asher.  During lunch, before we opened gifts, Micah couldn't contain the secret any longer and told Asher all about the Monster truck that he picked out for him.  :)  Caleb was able to contain the secret until Asher was opening his gift.  As Asher worked on getting off the paper, Caleb told him all about how he picked him a really cool Gator.  When Asher finally got the paper off and we could see the gift, Caleb exclaimed (very excitedly), "It IS a Gator!!!"....making everyone laugh.  Leave it to Caleb to make the quote of the day!  :)  Love those boys!  <3

Asher sporting his new hoodie towel

Where did Asher go?

It IS a Gator!!

Caleb showing Asher all of the cool features

Mom and Dad also got some great gifts from the grandkids.  Micah and Caleb colored on mugs with permanent markers (all by themselves!) and then baked them for Grandma and Grandpa to drink from...including some cool coffee that supports missionaries.  Asher gave his grandparents a Christmas plate with his hand & footprints on it, making snowflakes and a snowman.  Erika and I hadn't discussed these gifts at all, but it worked perfectly as Mom and Dad ended up with two mugs and a plate to enjoy some Christmas coffee and cookies!  ;)

Micah checking out the fort kit

Mom opening her plate from Asher

Mom & Caleb looking at the frame she got with pictures of all the grandkids

Dad opening one of his small "stocking" gifts from all of us

Cookie Monster jammies for our beloved Cookie Monster!!  :{}  (that is my cookie monster face!)

 After all of the presents were opened, the boys took some naps while we enjoyed a little quiet time.  When the boys were up, it was time to play with all of their new toys.

Mom & Hudson

Asher on his new rocking horse

Video: Asher & His Rocking Horse

Asher trying Hudson's swing chair

 As a small gift for Aaron, Erika, Mom and Dad, Asher and I made caramel corn, and we discovered that he REALLY likes it!  After nap time, he found one of the bags of corn and brought it to me.  After getting permission from the Aaron & Erika (the owner's), he enjoyed a few pieces, until we took it away.  Then, only a few minutes later, he came to me with the bag of corn that we gave Mom and Dad.  I guess he really knows what he wants!

Hudson trying out Asher's new rocking horse.

Asher, Micah & Caleb trying out the new fort.

Video: The Fort

Aaron and I also got to play with big kids in the evening was we tested out Micah and Caleb's new train racing track.  We had a lot of fun building it twice, as the boys in their excitement to test our creation accidentally knocked it over.

Video: Test Run

Asher & Hudson in their matching Dino hoodies.

The boys in their matching reindeer jammies

The whole family

So that was our family Christmas.  As I said, a great day with great people that I love dearly!  Just goes to show that Christmas truly is in the heart and it doesn't matter what day you celebrate!