Christmas in NJ 2009

Santa was very good to Stella and Des this year.  When they first got up, the kids opened their stockings first.  Then after a leisurely breakfast, we (minus Appachen who, unfortunately, had to work today) all gathered around the Christmas tree to open our presents.  Stella was in charge of distributing the gifts to their rightful owners.  The above collage is a glimpse into the mayhem of Christmas morning in NJ.

Stella got board games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, Hello Kitty slippers, Crayola paint set, and several DVDs and CDs she has been wanting.  Des got Lincoln Logs, a cool Hot Wheels Drop Force track set, a cowboy dress-up costume, a stuffed Mickey Mouse doll, CDs and DVDs, and, of course, puzzles.

As soon as we were done opening all of the gifts, Des immediately wanted to play with his new wooden jigsaw puzzles.  Here he is doing a Tigger and Pooh 12-piece jigsaw puzzle for the very first time all by himself without any trouble.

  

I guess he has graduated from a puzzle master-in-training to a little puzzle master himself!  We are so proud of you Des!