Christmas Morning 2011

This year, it felt like it took forever for Christmas to arrive. But when we saw how much stuff Santa brought for the girls, we realized he must have been packing his sleigh the whole time.

Gwen was the first one to wake up Christmas morning (5:50am, for the record). Morgan woke up shortly after that. We managed to divert them into our bedroom to watch TV while we got a little more sleep. Unfortunately, about half way through the Dora Christmas episode, Morgan remembered that it was Christmas. After that, NOTHING was going to keep them from going downstairs.

When the girls made it to the living room, the first thing they noticed were the new chairs, monogrammed with their names. Morgan has old chair that was in dire need of replacement. Gwen only had a flat old pillow and a Boppy to lay on (which she getting very attached to). Long story short, both girls were due for an upgrade to first class seating.

For Morgan, this will be remembered as the "Christmas of Disney Princesses" (big Princess dolls, little Princess dolls, baby Princess dolls, and Princess outfits). For Gwen, it'll be remembered as the "Christmas of Dora the Explorer" (baby Dora, exploring Dora, play date Dora, Boots, Swiper, Backpack, and even a Dora guitar).

Morgan's random present request from Santa this year was a "real" hamster. We eventually convinced her that a pink toy hamster would be better. And Santa delivered -- two toy hamsters, actually.

Gwen's Santa list included a Dora doll and an Aqua Doodle. Morgan was a big fan of the Aqua Doodle when she had one when she was Gwen's age. (She's still a big fan.)

Christmas was a good opportunity to round-out our Sesame Street collection as stocking stuffers. Welcome to the family, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Prairie Dawn, Telly and Murry.

Speaking of stocking stuffers, everyone got dental flavored dental floss, including waffle, cupcake and bacon. (Delicious... I think.)

As the morning rolled on, the girls unwrapped all sorts of fun stuff. Morgan's gifts included a set of 7 Princess dolls and a fresh supply of Play-Doh. Gwen's present haul included a Dora "Backpack" and a racetrack.

In another annual Christmas tradition, the excitement of Christmas morning got the best of the girls. The remedy: snuggle time with Mom. Before long, though, the girls were back in action.

By the end of the morning, the girls were ready for a nap and the house was ready for a heavy-duty cleaning -- because Christmas wasn't over yet... not by a long shot.