This year was a true labor of love.  The boys (and this mostly includes MIKE) have been excited about having bunk beds in their room.  They have some friends that have a basketball hoop in their room, and they were all sold on the idea.

Well, in true Marnee Marriott fashion, you can’t just get a new bed… you have to go for new floors, paint, decor… and if that isn’t enough keep it a complete surprise from the kids for a Christmas gift.

So, with the help of my mom (making these gorgeous pillows), my sister and her boyfriend (watching the kids for 2 nights) and Mike (staying up with me for 3 nights straight), we pulled off a complete demolition, installed new floor, painted, built furniture, and decorated and all without the least bit of suspicion from the boys.

The room looked like this on Monday afternoon:

Monday night the kids received a letter from Santa:

The boys thought that was the coolest thing EVER!  They happily “camped” out in our bedroom in sleeping bags while Mike and I took down furniture, painted, and locked the room up with signs on the door about elves working, with ribbon, wrapping paper, and Christmas music coming out from the bedrooms.

The next day, Parker exclaimed that the elves must be really busy because it smelt like wood and paint!  They had lots of fun guessing what kinds of toys the elves were making for all the kids in our neighborhood…

They went to my sister’s that afternoon and spent 2 nights there while we busily worked to transform the room.  We sent updates about reindeer sightings in our backyard… lots of loud noises coming from the rooms, etc.

Mike and I surprisingly made it through the whole floor install without a single fight or argument!  I think that might have been a true Christmas miracle!!!

Kate’s room was also off limits because we had to switch furniture.  She got the big bed (Parker’s double bed) and the boys got her Armour and hutch.  So we were constantly moving furniture back and forth between rooms keeping things out of the view of the kids and trying to get everything moved between rooms.

Christmas Eve, the kids once again camped out in our room… and surprisingly gave us the best Christmas present by sleeping in to 8:30!  (These are the kids that wake up at 6:30 every morning no matter what!)  Go figure that on CHRISTMAS morning, they sleep in… but Mike and I sure needed that extra sleep!

Anyway, they went out to the tree to see their Santa gifts and stockings and had this note taped to the basketball hoop…

Christmas 2009

Parker, Ryan, and Kate,

Thank you for letting my elves use your bedrooms so they could finish their Christmas work. They were able to make lots and lots of presents for the girls and boys in your area.

They made quite a mess… reindeer antlers scratched up the walls and carpet in Parker and Ryan’s room! They tried to put everything back together for you and hope you like it. Parker and Ryan, Here’s an extra special present to hang in your room… (basketball hoop)

Have a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for being so good this past year – you were all on my “Nice” list. Make sure you work hard this next year to stay on the “Nice” list.

Love,

Santa Claus

And this is what their room looks like now:

And here is what they thought of their new rooms… It made the sore news, achy back, sleepless nights all worth it!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!  Here’s to a wonderful 2010!