Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! It was joyful, yes, but peaceful? No. But we wouldn't have it any other way. Most of the time...

The season began quietly enough, with us recovering after another jam-packed Thanksgiving weekend and generally busy November. So before the Christmas season even officially began, we breathed. A little.

But soon, we had Christmas decorations to put up, dance rehearsals to attend and traditions to cram in--like making treats, sending cards, making more treats, singing Christmas carols and selecting gifts.

The scene while we decorated.

Elise was the first to put gifts under the tree, making them herself and wrapping them carefully. They were tiny, but enough to get us excited. So excited, we became eager for more presents to join them--which they eventually did.

New this year, the girls each signed every Christmas card. When we began this process, I believed we had a cactus' chance at the North Pole's possibility of actually finishing. But we did, even Naomi! We're getting bigger, all of us. Ironically, possibly because he's less used to taking academic orders from me than the rest of the tribe is, Matt was the toughest to nail down. Once I pointed out that even the four-year-old was doing it, however, he buckled down and spent the obligatory 15 minutes. 

Yup, all of them.

We sang at a nursing home, getting genuinely into the Christmas spirit with the people there. Elise was chosen to ring jingle bells, Kalina joyfully sang out with confidence, and Naomi survived, and even occasionally vocalized. 

Everyone wrote letters to Santa, and mostly kept them short and sweet. Naomi specifically requested a baby seal and a big sister sea turtle to go along with several of her other stuffies and, as an afterthought, a puppy. That bit of information will be important later. She also asked for a princess crown, just like Sofia's. Kalina asked for geodes and books, and Elise wanted a friend for her stuffed hamster and mermaid books. 

Thank goodness Santa uses an extra-wide throne!

After several days of the promise-remind cycle with Elise ("Mommy, now can we make fudge?" "Um, we're having breakfast, maybe later..." "It's later!"), we made fudge, and also Oreo truffles and in the hiatus in the minor stomach virus, Christmas cookies. The cookies were decorated just beautifully, or at least enthusiastically.

They have a system!

Not sure an actual North Pole elf could have
decorated a cookie more beautifully.

As usual, the girls had a delightful time shopping for each other. Naomi picked out presents at Wal-Mart with me in a sweet little shopping-trip-of-convenience, Elise carefully considered her sisters' current interests before deciding, and Kalina first led me on a treasure hunt for the perfect mermaid themed set of _____ (we ended up with Legos), and then created her own Christmas-morning treasure hunt for Naomi.

A princess begins a treasure hunt.

Of course, one of the biggest events of our Christmas was the Nutcracker, in which Kalina performed with her class as a Russian dancer. We battled the mildest stomach virus we'd ever faced during performance week, but it stopped us neither from performing nor enjoying the show. Elise and I saw it twice, even! Kalina glowed every day of that week, despite long hours, and still performs both the Russian dance and the soldier dance (for which she was an understudy) daily. 

Our Russian dancer!

Our Nutcracker date! Elise is actually smiling,
sometimes when something is really big we
get a more serious smile. She takes fun very
seriously.

What's a Nutcrakcer Mommy-Elise date
without a little treat?

And the next day, everyone came!

We saw Santa and the Charlie Brown Christmas play in one magical day, and handed out candles at the Christmas Eve service (minus Elise, for whom the stomach virus was not so mild). We watched as first St. Louis got snow (and some not-so-Christmasy thoughts passed through my mind) and then we got snow (my thoughts turned Christmasy again). 

Christmas Eve snow!

Always climbing. Probably shouldn't have
been, as it turns out she was still sick! But
still: Christmas Eve snow!

Naomi loves our outdoor decorations!

Elise managed to sit for a picture!

The kids always help decorate the tree and add
more as the season goes on. This was our view
Christmas Eve night.

All too soon, Christmas Day happened. Beautiful, white Christmas Day! Matt and I were caroled awake (actually, I'm pretty sure I had been hearing whispering and giggling for a good 20 or 30 minutes before that) and we first enjoyed the gift of a mostly healthy Elise. Then we headed downstairs, of course following our Christmas Morning rules:

1. We all have to go downstairs at the same time.

2. No changing into clothes first, it takes too long.

3. Stockings first.

4. Then tree, and everybody has to watch everybody else open every gift.

5. Hot chocolate.

Thanks for the earmuffs, Santa!

The girls were delighted by the earmuffs Santa left, in addition to a few of the things they'd asked for. Naomi got the baby seal and big sister sea turtle she was hoping for (how did Santa find the exact right sizes and everything?!?), Kalina found a whole bunch of geodes, and Elise received a friend for her stuffed hamster and a wooden sleigh puzzle.

I was still concerned about Elise's stomach, but we agreed on hot chocolate made with water instead of milk, and a Christmas cookie to nibble on throughout the day. This worked, as Elise was able to eat honestly as much as she wanted (which still wasn't too much) and also didn't feel left out when the rest of us ate treats to our hearts' content (mostly).

The precious Christmas cookie it took Elise
a day to eat!

Under the tree, Kalina found the ukulele she'd been hoping for (with a brand name of Kalena--what are the chances?), Elise found the Legos she hadn't allowed herself to anticipate, in addition to a second set from Kalina she hadn't even asked for, and Naomi found a princess doll. But the most important thing under the tree was something that originally was not:

Naomi, holding a square box: "And a cute, little puppy popped out!" Nope, instead, two mommy-made doll dresses.

Naomi, holding a flat, rectangular package: "And here's the puppy!"

Now Ariel the mermaid can live in water
or on dry land!

Not a puppy, a little play tent.

Kalina plays a Kalena!

It only took one glance for Matt and I to realize that for one of our daughters, anyway, it's not Christmas without a puppy. We both had the same thought: tucked away down in the basement was a cute stuffed puppy we had bought as a gift once and then not needed. Destined to be a regift, and then forgotten, the puppy resurfaced in the move. Quick as a flash, Matt wrapped it and tossed it surreptitiously under the tree, and then handed it to Naomi in the next motion. Naomi immediately named it Buttercup, put a princess dress on it, carried it around the rest of the day and told everyone it was her favorite gift. Whew, that was close. Sometimes, kids have to learn a lesson. Sometimes, though, they don't have to learn it at age 4 on Christmas morning.

Naomi lives in her own little world, where
puppies always arrive for Christmas, and
everyone's a princess.

Princess dress, princess crown, and puppy!

Later, Grandpa arrived and we chatted with Uncle Tom and Aunt Nancy via technology. Dinner was on the late side because we were having so much fun playing, and Elise managed a few bites of pie for dessert. 

Merry Christmas dinner!

Kalina drive her Lina ladybug!

Two days later, we headed north for a visit with Matt's family, including adorable cousin Dean. The girls spent the first evening in a whirlwind, revisiting the people, places, books and old favorite toys they'd enjoyed in years past. Animals were bedded down in the triple-decker bunk beds Grandma rigs up every year, Dean was gushed over and books were perused.

Grateful that everyone could be together again!

The next day, we opened more presents, enjoyed lots of books and a few games and played in the snow--after all, the rest of our visit it was supposed to be too cold (and it was!). Which is probably why we have no pictures of the girls outside this trip!

Books...

A new blue truck!

books...

And more books!!!

And a game!

The second full day of our visit, we visited the local children's museum that we, amazingly, had never been to (at least not in the last few decades). Elise climbed and slid down the giant structure, Kalina and Naomi "ice" skated on carpet, we all tried a laser maze over and over until it got too busy, we helped Dean wash a big car, we rocketed ping-pong balls, we made clay pots, and we generally explored to our hearts' content before collapsing at a nearby Subway. We also learned a very important lesson: arrive when the museum opens! Fortunately, we learned it the easy way: by walking past the very, very, very long line as we were headed out.

The cleanest car in the entire world, and
a really neat exhibit! 

Probably could've launched these ping-pong
balls all day.

We also enjoyed seeing Matt's extended family and catching up with them (and the desserts!!!), making crafts and getting excited about Christmas 2018, when we're expecting to be joined by another little, adorable, sweet cousin--and the kind that could even where our favorite hand-me-downs!

Cousin hug!

 It was hard to leave the cold north, especially for the almost-as-cold south, but we had one or two more stops to make. We saw a friend of mine and her family, and then celebrated New Year's Eve with some old family friends that just mesh so nicely with our kiddos (the youngest two name beloved dolls and stuffies after each other, the middle two could nearly be twins and the oldest two have a great rapport). We were both on the tail end of trips, as they had arrived home only an hour before we showed up, so we were at the same level of general patience and tiredness all around.

Wit the help of a clock that was reset easily, we rang in the New Year twice: the first time with sparkling cider, and the second with party poppers. The kids were in bed by 9:15 and the grownups well before 11:00.

Sparkling cider!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!