Christmas 2013

 Merry Christmas from the Leevers 2013

We had a great non-stop time on Christmas Eve.  I am so very thankful for an amazing sister-in-law amid all these men!  Between the two of us we made everything for dinner but the turkey (the guys fried the turkey this year - YUM!), fed 4 kids - one of them eats every three hours!, finished wrapping gifts, made sugar cookies for Santa, set the table, entertained the boys, put the toddlers down for naps, fed the troops, cleaned up, did 8 loads of laundry, manned the craziness when we opened gifts, cleaned up again, got ready for Santa's visit, and had some mimosas to keep up going!

Tate was in the festive spirit with his blinking light necklace from Sawyer's Gigi.

He got in his last wishes for Shotgun the Elf to tell Santa Claus 

The toddlers helped us cut out and decorate sugar cookies to leave for Santa [off-center photography courtesy of Cole Stansberry]

Cole [and John Hunter] opened an early gift from Johnny - a laser skeet shooter toy. SO FUN!

We actually all got in on the early gifts from Johnny to show our house quad-divided ;)

I think these two were the most excited to open toys gifts. 

Clearly the Head of Households were manning the heads of the table for dinner.

4 boys looking at the camera with real smiles all at the same time? Impossible.  This is the best we got.

Fun opening gifts... Tate liked to take time to play with each one, or in the case of shirts try each one on.  We had about 6 costume changes.

Saw-dawg on the other hand like to rip open as many gifts as fast as he could!

Tyler remained calm through it all.  Poor kid had no chance at peace and quiet in this group.

A glow penguin pillow from Baca & Grandpa was a favorite!

Cole set out cookies and chocolate milk for Santa Claus and hit the sack, anxious for Christmas morning.

The boys were up bright and too early Christmas day and couldn't wait to find...

a Razor Ground Force Drifter go-kart, LCD writing tablet, basketball, and more for Cole

an in-ground basketball system and new basketball for Tater, a train table and trains for Sawyer & Tyler [Santa was nice enough to leave a note telling Sawyer and Tyler he left their table at their house in Sugar Land for them], and

a bone for Barley!

 

We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast as a family on Christmas morning before JH, Kayla, Sawyer, and Tyler headed back home.  We have family and friends spread out and are not able to spend Christmas with everyone, though we wish we could.  We are thankful this holiday season for all of them, and feel blessed beyond measure.

Here's to a fast start to 2014 and more celebrations for a certain almost-3-year-old to come!