Christmas!!!!... It's Over Already?????

Well, as you can see from the lack of posts this past month, it has been a busy one!!! It sure is a lot of work for a holiday that takes a good month or two to prepare for, only to have it over in a matter of about 10 minutes! But I am glad it is done! Maybe now we can get on with the "regular" chaos of our lives!!!
We celebrated Christmas over at Jenny's house on Sunday evening with her family. Mom came up to Sioux City for the weekend and since Derek was unable to get off work and come home for Christmas, we just did our gift exchange on Sunday night. It took a good while to open gifts since we took turns opening. There were six children and 5 adults. We had a nice time! Brianna got the Bratz movie doll she wanted and Zach got a PS2 game that he had been wanting (a basketball one, of course!). I got a shirt and some perfume from my mom and a cookbook, socks, and some B&B lotion from Matt. CJ got some Adidas track pants and slippers from Jenny and a shirt and some gift certificates from Mom.
We stayed home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day... it was really nice not to have to load up gifts and travel anywhere. I had to work all day on Christmas Eve, so I fixed a nice dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn when I got home. I thought of making a pie, but we had all those cookies, bread, and chocolate... that was good enough for dessert. After supper and dishes, we opened our presents from each other. Brianna got a Barbie Girl MP3 player and clothes, Zach got another PS2 game and a Colombia coat, CJ got a billfold, an LSU chain, an LSU frosted pilsner glass, some more track pants and a Terrell Owens Dallas football jersey. I got some B&B body wash, a wallet, a purse, a really soft, thick blanket, and the camcorder I have been wanting! We watched a movie after presents and went to bed to wait for Santa Claus.
On Christmas morning, Brianna got up about 8:00 am and we woke everyone up to do the Santa presents! I put an egg casserole in the oven for breakfast so it could cook while the kids opened presents. Brianna got her Nintendo DS that she has been wanting for a year and a half now!! She was really happy!! She also got some DS games, clothes, Barbie stuff, the High School Musical 2 DVD and the Hanna Montana CD. Zach got his Guitar Hero 3, accessories for his cell phone, and IPod Docking station, and a gift certificate to the mall. They both were quite happy!! Since it was just the four of us, I didn't really feel like making a big meal and spending the day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. We had gotten some pizza, cheesy bread, and cinnamon sticks from Papa Murphy's the day before, and this is what we fixed for dinner/supper! It was really nice... the kids played with all their new presents and CJ and I got to sit around and relax all day.
Mom is having a Christmas get-together at her house this weekend for her side of the family. Weather permitting, we will be going home for that! It will be nice to see our relatives and visit. At least we won't have to drag any presents anywhere! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!!!!