Merry Christmas!

Sunday was the kids' Sunday School Christmas Program at church. Liana was Elisabeth, and Aleksa was Mary! (Adam got to pass out the bulletins... the boy does NOT like to be on the stage!)

We had been preparing all week for company this weekend... We'd expected the Fishers to come up for the Program, and then Friday we learned it was going to blizzard out, so they had to cancel. We then invited another family over for Sunday dinner. Sunday morning they had to cancel because of illness. So that left all of us with a spic-n-span house, a table set with china and pretty holiday linens, and all of us dressed to the 9's.

"Hmmm..." says I. "Maybe we should turn this afternoon into our present opening time. That would save me from having to do this alllll over again on Tuesday." (We're planning on going to John's grandparent's for Wed-Fri, so we were going to open our presents on Tuesday morning.) Having a spic-n-span house, a nice meal, spiffed up kids, and allll the presents already wrapped does not happen without much travail, tears, scrubbing, nagging, whining and complaining and flat-out WORK. So. After dinner, (on my mother's china pattern), we headed downstairs to the family room, where we had a very nice gift-opening time. We got a Wii this year, and you can guess what everyone is doing right now! I even got in a game of boxing with Adam this morning already. Don't need any more exercise until 2017. Abrielle's favorite thing was her color-wonder. Too bad we wasted so much money on the other things she got! ;o) She's been very interested in pencils, crayons, markers and the like, and they've all been no-no's without Major Supervision until now. This morning she was so excited about having free-reign over her markers that she was walking around and around and around Adam and me (we were playing Wii boxing), shrieking her excitement and holding her markers in one hand, and masterpiece creation in her other. It was hilarious. Aleksa got mostly horse-themed things, and Liana got a few herself, but her favorite gift was a spiral curling iron. My Liana aged five years yesterday. She sure looked glamorous! She hasn't quite gotten the hang of how to do it, but I stepped in and finished her up. It was a fun mom-daughter time, and I hope she never forgets it - I know I won't! Adam got a giant over-stuffed bear, a remote-control truck, and some other guy stuff like a RAZOR, (!!!), socks, clip light for his bed, etc. My kids are growing up... *sniff, sniff*

It will sure be nice to relax the rest of the week! I'll do some extra cooking/baking, but it feels good to have John home, everyone playing their hearts out, and me not having to correct science tests or monitor their wiggles. Merry Christmas everyone!