Our Christmas

We had a more solitary Christmas than we had intended.  We were able to visit with my parents and sister the last weekend of advent, with plan of my parents coming down to see us on Christmas Day--due to illness we weren't seeing Justin's parents at Christmas, though we did visit with them at Thanksgiving.

The baking was done and the groceries all purchased, but Kate had a fever pop up.  She and Ellie had a cold before, but it seems that she picked up the flu while we were away.  The next day Nate had a fever too.  So Christmas left us in quarantine!

Thankfully the kids didn't feel poorly, despite their fevers.

 
They opened their pajamas on Christmas Eve.

 
We celebrated with gift opening and baked breads in the morning--orange nut, chocolate chip cranberry, and cinnamon rolls (from a recipe that a fellow teacher gave me when I was still teaching).

 
A little after noon we had a full turkey dinner, with all the trimmings, with our Christ candle lit.

 
In the afternoon we opened the presents from my in-laws for the children and had left overs for dinner.

It was quiet, but I was so grateful that for our family a case of the flu doesn't lead us to fears of ER visits and hospital stays.  Our children are healthy.  They are here.  With full tummies and presents to boot.  We had a very blessed Christmas!

Friday Funny

In children's section of the art museum there were several signs indicating things that one could do with a smart phone.

Kate: It was take a picture with your i-phone, make a video with your i-phone.  I-phone, i-phone, i-phone.

Nate: Nope.  Eye ball, eye ball, eye ball.  Use your eye ball, you goober.

*     *     *     *    *

We obviously don't have an i-phone.

Friday Funny

I mentioned to Justin about a little gal at church that reminded me of Kate and her verboseness as a little bitty gal.  So we were discussing how Kate decided to be a trash collector when she was little.

Nate pipes up, "I'll be a trash collector, and I'll have a wife!"

"Really, what will she be like?"

"She'll be nice."

"What will you do together?"

"We'll go on dates.  Like eating dates, and movie dates with popcorn, and walking dates.  And we'll go to parties."

"Will you have parties at your house?"

"Oh yes!  A big party."

"Can I come?"

"Yes, it will be my little boy's first birthday party.  We'll have cotton candy, and those beans that are like coffee beans [Jelly Bellies], and a beef roast."

*     *     *     *     *

And unlike Kate, I could actually see Nate making this his career.  Not for the stuff, but to drive the big truck.  We'll see what career he picks and what wonderful gal he chooses.

Tree

It's that time of year.  We put up the tree with pretty lights, and shiny ornaments and tell the little ones not to touch it.  I knew that Ellie would be the most challenging of the children at their one year Christmas.  She's always busy and also has more hours to get into things, since she sleeps a couple of hours less a day than the others did at her age.

We started with just the tree and lights.  After she was able to not knock it over for a few days, we added our ornaments.  True to my expectations, the bottom third of the tree is quickly being emptied as we have begun to move the ornaments she removes.

It was Ellie's turn to put the angel on the top of the tree this year.

I think she likes the tree!

A quote I read on FaceBook this week: They put a big tree in the middle of the living room and said "don't touch." Didn't work in the Garden of Eden and it's not gonna work here. 🌲 -the Honest Toddler