This is part 1 of 2, because there is another gift that has yet to be received. It is some where between Cleveland and Japan right now, and more than likely it is at some sort of customs receiving place in Cleveland, which should take at least a day to get released and start making its way here. At that time I will be able to take another picture or two and complete Christmas.

I believe that while there were not a great many gifts under the tree this year the kids did get exactly what they wanted. I know there are pictures where you can scarcely see the tree for all the wrapped boxes in front of it, but in a way this is more of the direction Christmas is going to be going in anyway. The kids are getting older, and older kids results in more expensive and smaller gifts.

Eddy kept saying that he got “mostly” everything he wanted. He is upstairs currently sorting through probably over 100 of those Yu-Gi-Oh cards that he wanted. He has no idea what the package is, but I did tell him that there was one more Christmas gift that he would be getting this year. He does not think it is the one very special thing that he wants though, because I already told him that they do not sell that toy in the United States.

Patty did on the other hand get everything that she wanted. It is very difficult to make the “final” gift a surprise when she gets an itunes gift card and an iHome player for an iPod nano, but some how she did still manage to look surprise when she unwrapped the pink iPod nano. I have already instructed her on exactly what I expect, which is that she will not be taking that thing out of the house and especially not to school. If she loses it or it gets broken it will not be replaced.

I made the kids get dressed again this year, and they both protested and told me that I have never made them do that before. I am glad that I took pictures of last year. I think they were actually dressed better last year.

I made waffles this morning and made them take showers as well. They woke up really early though. That probably has something to do with the fact that they went to bed early last night. I have to find a way to keep them up a little longer from now on, because there is no promise that I will be up and ready to go this early.

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