Christmas Day 2015

Santa was very, very generous to the children this year.  Everyone wanted Schleich toys, so Schleich ruled the day and for the most part that is all kids got.  However, Oskar got Wedgits and a stick horse (his favorite present), and there were all the homemade toys the kids made for each other.

 Miriam in the shirt grandma Beckie gave her (it is very cute) playing with the new Wedgits.

 The kids brought the Imaginext castles upstairs to use with their Schleich figures.  Later that morning we noticed a package on our doorstep from Aunt Kami.  It was a Schleich castle.  The kids went crazy with excitement.  You can never have too many castles.  :)

 Oskar with his stick horse. 

 Cowen made Harriet a Wee Mouse Tin House for Christmas.  It is a little mouse who has a toy bear and they sleep in an Altoids tin.  It was a huge hit.

 Harriet made one for Emeline, too. 

 Eli (and Timothy) made this Paris picture for Miriam.  Miriam loves all things Paris-related and her bedroom is decorated with a Paris theme. 

 Then here's the basketball hoop Miriam made Cowen and Eli.

 And here is the amazingly awesome truck that Emeline (and Timothy) made for Oskar.  He loves it.

 Cowen's Dragon Army.  The best part of Christmas morning for me was when Cowen opened his Dragon Army Ranger.  We'd seen the Ranger on the Schleich website but only with the newest castle.  Cowen knew that he wasn't getting the castle so he thought he wouldn't be getting the Ranger either, but somehow Santa managed to track it down and get it separate from the castle.  Cowen has been reading the Ranger's Apprentice series (he's on book 9) and went crazy with excitement when he saw the Ranger.  It. was. awesome.

 His king is my favorite of the kings.

 Oskar's Wedgits.  These Wedgits saved my life while I was watching five of Kami's kids.  Timothy was in Wyoming at Kami's house so for four days I had twelve kids by myself.  Everyone was super good and the whole group of them played with the Wedgits for hours every day. 

 Clover's loot.

 Harriet's dragon.

 Harriet got a bunch of rainbow fairies and the deer unicorn.  Sweet.

 Miriam's dragon.  She loves all things Asian.

 Miriam's elvish creatures.

 Miriam's elves.  The male elf was shipped from Japan.  Male elves are hard to come by!

 More of Miriam's elves.  She got the Elvish Queen in her ice sleigh plus a cool wizard.  Enchantress?? 

Santa brought everyone a box of sugar cereal this year.  He must have remembered how much I liked that as a kid.  I like it even more as an adult!!  We ate pretty much nothing else for the next two days until the cereal ran out.

 Eli's Griffin Army.  He asked for The Prydain Chronicles.  I'm so proud of him. 

Emeline's loot.  She wanted all the elves with babies so she has a baby and a toddler and the two elves in wedding garb--among other things.

It was really a marvelous Christmas.  The kids were so excited and the toys have been played with non-stop since they were received.  The toy room is always covered with elaborate set-ups: the elvish mountains, the elvish woods, the Griffin castle, the Dragon castle, etc.  I love watching it all and I love my kids!