MERRY FIRST CHRISTMAS!!!

1. Nate's fun (and multifunctional...even for mom & dad) Santa gift!
2. Christmas-at-home tradition...Denny's for breakfast
3. Rockin' out with my new iPod from Don

What an awesome day. Don woke up at the insane hour of 3:30am because he couldn't sleep. I on the other hand, continued to dream of sugar plums until the more reasonable hour of 7am. Poor Nate was totally zonked from staying up way past his bedtime but that wasn't about to stop us. We armed ourselves with the camcorder and woke up the boy to start Christmas! Fortunately, he woke up fairly content and we dressed him up in his Santa suit and brought him out to the tree. He couldn't get enough of his giant foam blocks and would climb up one side, slide down the other and do it all over again until he was wore out.

Then we bundled up and headed out for Denny's for breakfast. We started this tradition 3 years ago when we couldn't visit family and were really just looking for any restaurant. Denny's was the only one open and it's turned out to be a lot of fun. It's usually packed out and everyone is in a great mood, laughing and wishing each other "Merry Christmas".

This year we got our families webcams for Christmas since we couldn't fly out to see them. It really is an awesome thing to be able to see your parents through your laptop and have them get to watch their grandson open the gifts they sent him. Nate got a kick out of seeing my parents on screen and hearing them talk to him. Don's parents sent us a wonderful gift....they took Nate's red chinese outfit, his tiger shoes and a panda painting on a banyan leaf and framed them in a shadow box. It will be a special reminder of God's blessing to us, to have hanging on our wall for years to come and maybe hand down to Nate when he's an adult. Or I might not want to part with it & just keep it. ha!

Nate & I crashed after lunch for a long nap. We were planning on going to the snow but it got too late and we were too tired, so maybe tomorrow! Now we're chilling and I'm getting ready to eat some yummy pumpkin pie, while listening to Nate play with his toys. Best of all, I was visiting a friend's blog who are adopting a child from Russia. After a frustrating wait, they got their referral just 2 weeks ago and they are in Russia right now meeting their new little baby boy. What an absolutely awesome and perfect Christmas gift and blessing from God.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed every minute of friends, family and whatever traditions are special to you this time of year. Merry Christmas!

Love from The Sullivans..Don, Denise and Nathaniel.