Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Sydney!  What a day it has been. 

Well, actually two days....  

Coop has been asking us for quite some time to take his bunk beds apart (he now has two beds on the floor) so that Tucker could sleep in his room.  This was a big move for Coop and he was so excited. Tucker loves the idea of a bed in Coop's room, but when it came down to sleeping in it- that was a different story.  He gladly went to sleep in his crib and I was glad too. I am not ready for my baby boy to be out of a crib nor am I  ready for him to be able to get in and out of bed on his own! Then excitement grew when the boys found a gift from the Christmas Elves on their beds in Coop's room.  They each received a little construction truck from the Elves.

the new arrangement

the boys with their gifts from the elves

 After that excitement, we watched a short Christmas video and then Coop prepared the snacks for Santa and his reindeer and wrote Santa a note. His note read:

Dear Santa,
I love you! How many presents have you delivered? There are an awful lot of islands. Thank you for the trucks. I am going to give you a present tomorrow day.  Do you have a special truck to pick it up or can the reindeer pick do it? How many presents did you deliver to the Hyde Apartments? 
Love, 
Cooper and Tucker


Just a note- the Hyde Apartments is the name of the building we live in.  After Cooper dictated that last sentence, he said, "I bet Santa will laugh at that."

 
 Then it was off to bed for some stories. The boys' grandparents, aunts and uncles (on Doug's side) had recorded themselves reading, Twas the Night Before Christmas.  So, we snuggled up on Coop's bed and   listened to them reading the poem.  The boys really liked it and it was really nice to hear some voices from home.

Finally, we got both boys to sleep and it was time to set the scene for the morning.  Doug took care of the carrots and cookies and drank the milk.  I put the gifts under the tree and in the stockings. Then we put hoof prints (made from paper) on the floor from the table where the treats were to the door to the balcony. It was supposed to look like the reindeer had been there. Well, we hoped....

the tree and gifts

reindeer hoof prints

what was left of the snacks for Santa and the reindeer

cute towels I found :)

The next day, the boys woke up around 7 am.  Cooper dashed to the tree and immediately started opening everything and anything he could get his hands on. We had to slow him down- we TRIED to slow him down, but you know excited kids get...  Tucker, on the other hand, took his time with each gift. He studied the cards and savoured each gift before moving on to the next.  Cooper was amazed that Santa knew he was old enough for big kid Legos and that he knew he wanted a tape dispenser.  Santa got them each a small mug from Starbucks and when Coop opened it, he said, "I can't believe Santa stole these from Starbucks!" Not sure where that came from.  Finally, Coop slowed down enough to look around. He noticed the hoof prints on the floor and said, "That sure was nice of Santa to print these out for us." Doug said, "But Coop they are real." He said, "No, they are not. See they are made of paper."  When he looked at the note that Santa left for him, he saw a reindeer hoof print on the paper and said, "Look! Santa even drew a hoof print on the note."  Nothing gets by this boy, nothing.

After opening gifts and playing for a while, we made our daily pilgrimage to Starbucks.  Not only for a drink, but also because our beloved babysitter/friend/barista asked us to stop by on Christmas Day. She had gifts for the boys.  The boys had so much fun opening more gifts in their favourite place and then went right home to play with them

We wrapped up the day with pizza from of all places, Dominoes, and man, it was GOOD! It tasted more like pizza from home than anything we have had since we have been here and it was super cheap! As Coop ate, he said, "This is the best Christmas dinner ever!" 

So I'd say over all it was a great Christmas. Most importantly, the boys had fun and felt loved by many people.  I think the smiles on their faces below say it all...

Happy Christmas to all, 

And to all a goodnight!