Christmas Simplicity

We had an incredibly sweet and simple Christmas morning as a family of four this year. We chose to only do stockings (although to be fair, the gift I got The Husband wouldn't fit in his stocking), and I really liked how the focus wasn't on a lot of gifts.  We ate breakfast (I fixed cinnamon roll waffles--thank you, Pinterest), sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus, Jack had room time while I cleaned up the kitchen and The Husband organized things upstairs and in the garage, and then Jack dug into his stocking (The Husband and I exchanged gifts the night before). We gave him a toy truck, a dinosaur coloring book, a lacing game, and an ezpz placemat (parents of toddlers, check them out! They're awesome!). 

My parents came over Christmas afternoon, and they brought lots of goodies with them. The kitchen in the picture above was their gift to my niece 4 years ago. The Husband put it together for her before we were married. She's outgrown it now, and my sister's family generously passed it on to Jack and Ella. Jack LOVES it. He was already excellent at pretending to mix things up in bowls and "feed" us, so this is a really neat thing for him. The other great gift he received was a rug with roads and buildings on it from my parents. He enjoys playing with cars and trains, so this is perfect!  Today, Jack played in his room by himself for nearly an hour and a half during room time, and he mostly played with the kitchen and all of the accessories. I could hear him opening and closing the doors and babbling to himself while pretending to stir and eat.  I peaked under the door and snapped a few shots :). I also (later) took a few photos of him playing with the cars on the mat. 

My parents gifted Ella with a new car seat, and it's like a big comfy lazy boy recliner, haha! I love the progression of her smile :).  Gosh, I hope it fits in my car!  How on earth do people fit these giant car seats in their cars and still have room for a grown man to sit in the front?!

We finished the evening by eating yummy cheesy pinwheel crescent roll things my mom made and crockpot broccoli cheese soup that I had cooking on "low" all afternoon.  The children passed out shorty after my parents left. *Sigh*. :) And, The Husband and I snuggled on the couch and watched a funny movie until it was time for us to pass out, too. 

I adore the "4 things" idea for Christmas--something you want, something you need, something you wear, something you read. Have you heard of it? Do any of you do that? We might do it for the kids only since The Husband and I typically buy ourselves things we need and/or wear, but maybe we can do the other two and continue the simplicity.  None of us need a whole lot, and really, we want them to know that Christmas isn't about all the stuff. Jack was thrilled with the gifts he received, but he's gotten the most joy out of sharing those things with us :). And, Ella? Well, she's just a joy period!

It was a lovely, mostly-quiet day.  It was sorta perfect. I hope yours was just as special.