a very merry christmas...

Our holiday was lovely. It began on Thursday with dinner at Bistro One West with our boys.  On Friday, we enjoyed a Christmas Eve dinner with our kids and had much fun opening presents and Christmas day was spent in Libertyville with my family. I hope yours was warm and happy and filled with smiles and laughter like ours.                         

Brian and I decided to go to Bistro One West as Matt really wanted to eat at Chef Doug's new restaurant. We all ordered different dinners so we could pass our plates and sample as many dishes as possible. (Tasted that evening was shrimp prongs, Amish chicken, Berkshire pork cutlet and Waygu steak.) When Nick's dinner came, the first thing he said was, "This is it?  This is why I want to go to a place like Outback. There you get a lot of food on your plate." The dishes started to rotate, which is always fun at a new place, and I watched Nick would look at the person with his dinner and heard him often request that that person watch the portion size they were sampling. It was so typical of Nick and so very funny!

Our Christmas was an "I-Pad" Christmas.  Brian and I bought Nick an I-pad for his 21st birthday and Christmas present and then decided to buy one for all of our kids.  Our logic was that all of them wanted one and if we combined Christmas with each of their upcoming birthdays, it would not be quite as extravagant of a gift.  Well, it was an amazing surprise to all and I was given one as well from my family!

Nick is getting ready to open his I-Pad that all of the kids knew was his gift. When I mentioned to them on Thanksgiving that I wanted to get this for Nick, all looked at me and said, "I want one, too!".  Wish granted!

When I gave Sarah, Matt and Chris their gifts, I told them that they had to open them at the same time.  All started and then discovered each was opening up another person's gift; but it really did not matter! (I can be tricky!)  The gifts were handed to the appropriate owner and they unwrapped them together only to be shocked!  All I could hear was, "We all got I-Pads!", "Mom, oh no!", "Oh Mom!".  It was so fun and the looks and hugs and smiles were priceless!

As I said, I was given an I-Pad, too.  I actually was given mine right after Nick as he said something that made Sarah think that I would know what my gift was going to be (Not!  All I wanted was a pair of sterling silver hoop earrings!). When I opened it, I was stunned as who would think that the five of us would be given this very fun present. (I just think this is the cutest picture ever!)

And Brian...He was not forgotten.  He seemed to be happy with the radio I gave him to inspire him to exercise this year and the radio became the "joke of the weekend" as he often came up to me to say, in front of the kids, "Honey, thank you for the Insignia radio.  I was happy you listened to me and did not spend a lot of money on me!".  Sarah and Chris gave him a golf club that he wanted and Matt's body products were a hit.  Who does not want to moisturize in the winter?

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!