Christmas happened! Unfortunately, sometimes recovering from Christmas and getting back into the swing of things means there's no time for a real blog post. But still, here's evidence that Christmas was celebrated:
Thanks to sheer determination and Grandpa's steady fingers, Elise managed to loose both her front teeth just in time for the start of the Christmas season. We listened to "All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" on repeat for two solid days before Kalina went nearly crazy and made us listen to other Christmas songs, too. I didn't remind her that in her toddler years, nothing delighted her more than listening to songs on repeat, which is probably the only reason I was immune to it when Elise pulled that stunt. Naomi, for her part, supported Elise.
Buttercup, the surprise Christmas puppy from last year, returns to her roots for a short winter's nap. Adorably, we find little beds like this all over the house at any given time.
At the Arboretum's outdoor Christmas lights event, we nearly froze solid. Sure, the intricate fairy houses were amazing, the lights were enchanting, Santa was accommodating, the meager attempt at bonfires were charming and the apple cider was delicious, but the toasty hand dryers in the bathrooms saved the night. We all made it through without frostbite, and next year (because it was a really cool event) we will do a better job of dressing for the weather.
Kalina received a little foam reindeer antler craft from her teacher (me) at one of our co-ops, and wore them all season. Which I loved because that's so not her.
The older girls played piano, including a lovely Away in a Manger duet, at Union Station! Naomi had her own set of deer antlers, which had been part of the deer-turned-otter costume from Halloween. Whatever works, right? The girls played beautifully, and Kalina never missed a beat even when her page turn flopped. Matt swore people milling around stopped talking for a second or two when they heard Kalina's Carol of the Bells. Elise added her own flair to Frosty the Snowman, arranging the arranged piece in a way that was more true to the original.
We counted down to Christmas with advent crafts, and Naomi's Mary, Jesus and Joseph made her particularly proud. Look--even her dimple is showing!
Kalina and Elise helped with gingerbread (and ninjabread!) for a cookie exchange game party (Favorite moment: Sweet little innocent Kalina boldly accusing one of the men of being a dreaded werewolf during the game--and being right!!). This party was overlapped by another Christmas party, but as both were in our neighborhood, we were able to attend that one, too. Extroverts for one night, only, if you could even call us that.
We had to make some of our traditional decorated cookies for ourselves, too! We'd found several new shapes of sprinkles to overuse.
We were glad to make it to Christmas Eve church with everybody relatively healthy, considering the massive cold that had already deflated Naomi's and Matt's lead-up to Christmas. Even Buttercup, last year's Christmas puppy, tagged along! The same Buttercup who let out a cute little woof during a dramatic silence only the weekend before in church. Fortunately, the puppy was better behaved this time.
Ready!
Elise finds a compass from Santa, having requested nature gear (among other things). Sorry if the picture's a little dark, but it was a little dark still due to our earliest Christmas awakening since Elise's young toddler days.
Elise's hedgehog is the same one she sent in various Christmas packages local and international this year. Naomi gave Elise her own for Christmas, digging it out of the back of a Wal-Mart bin. The girls put so much thought into each others' gifts!
The weather's nice enough that Kalina and Elise can head out to test out their new survival packs! And Naomi can cozily cuddle a panda indoors.
In Minnesota, Julie taught Uncle Matt some new moves! And was so excited about it she stayed awake virtually all night! Matt was also excited, but managed to get some sleep.
Artistic Christmas cookies were apparently a huge hit. With everyone, not just Naomi, but she shows what we were all thinking.
Kalina adds her own creative touch to the Christmas cookies. Everyone approached the project differently (Dean, for instance, wowed us all with his enthusiasm for the rolling pin and his immediate grasp of technique), but the result was as spectacular as it was delicious.
Matt finally gets some real enthusiasm for the remote-control car! And the girls are enthusiastic about Dean, so really it's win-win-win.
If this Christmas belonged to anyone, it was Naomi. This girl loved stepping out of her world as the littlest sister and into a novel role as a bigger person. She followed her littler cousins from room to room and joyfully engaged in whatever they were doing. She and Dean spent lots of time playing trucks, ball and, Naomi's favorite, slumber party.
Cousins and Christmas jammies just seem to go together! And out of the 800 pictures we collectively took, quite a few of them were quite cute!
We were so grateful to get to spend another New Year's Eve with our old friends! We were amazed when in the poppers, we received exactly the gifts printed on the back of the box. Because who would want a surprise on New Year's Eve? At a party? Even more astonishing: amid the typical cheap gifts of mini puzzles, a die, and a whistle was a fingernail clipper. Elise was delighted to receive it (I think she'd somehow peaked into hers). After all, nothing says happy 2019 like shiny new nail clippers!
May your 2019 be equally well graced by fingernail trimmers and other weird (but useful!) semi-surprises.
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