Christmas Highlights

The kids didn't wake up at the crack of dawn this year.  It was really nice--the extra sleep, the light streaming in through the windows.  I'm not sure how we got so lucky.  It certainly wasn't because the kids were lacking in excitement.  Because they were beside themselves with excitement.  It was agonizing for them to wait 2 minutes for us to get ready.  We always make them wait to go see the tree so that we can witness their first reaction to it.  We're selfish like that.

And they can only dig into their stockings before breakfast.  We make them eat before opening presents.  Poor, poor children.

But it always ends up being worth the wait.

B simply had to help everyone open their gifts.  And then she had to scan them all with the little light spinner from her stocking.  I am happy to report that there is no anthrax around here.

Santa followed instructions really well.  Better than expected, in some instances.

 I think maybe it's good that we only have one son.  Shaggy has entirely too much fun reliving his own childhood through J and his toys.

K jumped right in by using some of her gifts and made us some totally delicious cake pops, from scratch.  Seriously, there were like the best combination of chocolate cake and brownies.  Yum!  We loved them, even though she neglected to make more than one with pink sprinkles which resulted in an hour long wailing session between the two littlest girls.  That will not go down as a Christmas highlight in my book.

But the fabulous new down comforter that Shaggy gave me, that was a definite highlight.

At some point when our bedroom was added to the house, somebody forgot to plan for adequate heating.  So our room is always freezing.  That comforter is a lifesaver.  And I am a total convert to down.  It.  Is.  Amazing!

Even the kids like it, though I very rarely feel overly willing to share.

Everyone had fun.  We made a giant mess.

And we caught B trying to plow through her entire stash of stocking candy.

She didn't even bother to take the wrapper off her candy cane before digging in.

All that sugar consumption did not help the rest of our Christmas day to go smoothly.

Because it only fed all the little germies in her tummy.  Instead of napping, she threw up all over herself, her blankets, and her crib.  Another NON-highlight.

B's stomach flu successfully derailed most of our Christmas dinner plans.  I didn't even make pumpkin pie.  It's really hard to have much of an appetite when there's all that smelly vomit around and when the only thing you can do is hold a pale, shaking babe on your lap.  Poor girl.

I was grateful that we at least had a happy Christmas morning before the flu took over our lives.

A couple of days later, K, S and I all came down with it.  It was ugly.  Poor Shaggy was stuck with barf duty for the whole day.

Nothing says Christmas like bleach and gas masks!