Christmas Day 2017

Pajamas on Christmas morning.  Truly one of life's greatest joys, don't you think?  When December 25th arrived at last, our crew lined up in height order to go see the tree.  I predict that next year Brooklyn will have to stand in the very back.

Gifts can't be unwrapped until the obligatory bowl of Trix has been consumed. 

Packages galore!

It started off calmly enough...

...but soon evolved into this.

Some favorite gifts: Harry Potter garb.

Tickets to the theater.

And for Annika, an entire den of stuffed snakes.  (We're up to four.)

"Keep Smiling!"

Vroom, vroom, Eli!

Love this calendar Eli drew for me.

Talia and Dookie.  😝

On a more serious note, Talia got her own pack for backpacking... 

...and Brooklyn got a lightweight tent.  Adventures to come!

Zoe lovingly indulged us all, including the sweater we made her wear.

Speaking of clothes, Annika suddenly decided she'd had enough of those.

We made her get dressed again though, especially since she wanted to go outside and the day's high was fourteen degrees.

That's better, Annika Mae!

Annie and Eila were both brave enough to go out and explore the snow that fell for our white Christmas.  Many thanks to Uncle Adam and Papa Kay for braving the cold with them!  This was really the only day we went outside to play since the temperatures continued to drop.  By December 31st, the daily high was -1, without windchill.

Such a cute little snowman!

Back inside, our cuties had some mighty pink cheeks.

I think Anders was glad he stayed with mama. 

With most of the packages opened, we pulled out Settlers while the turkey baked.

Gathered 'round the table for Christmas dinner.  Turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, who could ask for anything more?

As you can see, we also enjoyed our Christmas Crackers with their accompanying crowns.

After dinner, it was time to trek to the basement to open NomiAnn's large gift--a bike!


Last but not least, time to open Santa's stockings.  Anders is holding the most amazing cloth balloon ball.  It's a fabric cover that goes over a regular balloon so that the balloon lasts longer and your baby can play with it safely.



Merry first Christmas, Anders!

And many thanks to everyone, particularly NomiAnn and Papa Kay, for making Christmas so special.  They went to an extraordinary amount of work decorating the house and getting everything all cozy for the holidays.  While we would certainly love being together under any circumstances, this Christmas was magical!