Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve, headed to an evening service before going home for fondue/book reading/present wrapping.  Alexe and I both like these services with carols, readings, and candle lighting and sharing the Peace with those around you in church.  With two young kids, who are super excited about Christmas! it's a bit less relaxing.  Caspian, squirmy as can be, fell off his pew onto his head in a slow motion boredom roll, twice.

Stockings:

Caspian used his school based reward money, (earned with good behavior,) to buy Alexe and me presents at the school store.  He picked a plate with an oak and acorn theme out for his mother, who loves acorns so much, and for me...

A mug made by a local potter that I really like.  (We have no idea how Town Creek Learning Center finds funds to make these gifts happen.  They impress us in new ways all the time.)

I'm not going to try to keep up with the gift-ers and the many presents that were opened this morning by all of us.  Friends and family spoiled us rotten.  If we were video chatting when your presents were opened there probably won't be any pictures, sorry.

My sister-in-law spoiled me with new jammies, and after an hour of wearing them Alexe noticed they were monogrammed.  

Alexe started the theme of thumbs-up for great presents.

Christmas caught both Alexe and I suddenly, with so many things going on just now, and neither of us had time to deal with presents for each other.  I found something that I can do for Alexe in the coming weeks that she will love, and on Christmas morning Alexe wrote and presented and read to me a love poem/sonnet written in loose medieval language, complete with Alexe-honest speak, and coupons true to her temperament and depth of ability to happily give.  For example a 3 minute back massage.

He is excited about the bubbles.  She is excited about having her picture taking.

Alexe self-gifted these.

A break to prep dinner and feed the livestock and enjoy the lovely sunny day.

It was 19 degrees when we woke up.  The ice in the cow trough was surprisingly thick.

Family walk to get the appetite up and work through the pounds of stocking candy.

There was napping, and surprising amounts of friendly and quiet play with new toys.  We wrapped the day with the 7th Harry Potter film, which again was a bit slow and meandering, but being six films in, we intended to finish the series and give the kids the closure of the bad guy losing that they have been faithfully waiting for.