It's the End o' the Year!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to our friends & family! Wendi here, I hope your Christmas was warm & cozy like ours. As Indigo says "Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up!"

The boys started Christmas break early due to wondrous S*N*O*W ! We discovered how much Bear loves the white fluffy stuff, he frolicked out there like...well, like a puppy. We have Valley Gear which means our poor boys had to play outside in less-than-perfect snow clothes. Of course neither of them complained but we had to have lots of warm-up sessions with cocoa!

Derek was beginning 2 weeks off work (1 week paid vacation, the 2nd will be without pay) so he was home with the guys while I did some work but I also spent time recovering from a kick-ass cold virus, verrrry glad to have that behind us! Daddy caught it too but it didn't take him down quite as hard. I get to visit the doctor on Monday 'cuz I may have pulled something in my back while coughing, ah gee if only you could see the slow and twisty progression from the seat to walking across the room...

On Christmas Eve we of course had two very excited Little Misters. After dinner we "blessed the house" (translated 'put away toys & tidied up') and then they could each open ONE little present. They opened the gift from the other sibling & were both happy & satisfied JUST ENOUGH to go to bed that night. Casey is our early riser so he had explicit instructions to look at the digital clock in our bedroom when he woke up and if it started with "OH-FOUR or OH-FIVE" it was too early in the morning to get up. He woke up at 4:26, came back in at 5:20, & finally we gave in at 5:57 and it was CHRISTMAS MORNING at last!

We sat in our living room where our pretty little tree sat on a table. We tore thru stockings and gifts and then had a pleasant time munching on candy, putting together Lego things and flipping thru new books. Then Derek got the boys to sit beside him & look over his shoulder at the pictures he'd taken that morning. There was lots of grinning until he got to one photo they didn't recognize, a huge box in the family room where the boys hadn't ventured yet. Alex & Casey looked at each other then BOLTED down to the family room & started tearing into the Big Gift........ a Wii! (Weeeeeeee!) What a hoot! I swear Alex did not Sit for 2 hours as he explored the wonderful world of non-couch-potato Wii games & he worked up a sweat! Casey thought the Wii was extremely cool too although he was crawling into the big box within two minutes of emptying it.... hee heee..... [in fact that box has been a tremendously popular Fort & Store ever since, and tonight is the third in a row that Casey's sleeping in it!!!!]

Derek made Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls (mmmmmmmmm!) and we had a nummy Ham/Yam/Garlic green bean (thank you Jorgen!) early dinner with our friend Pamela. She came over with knitting kneedles (ha) in hand & I enjoyed parking on the floor with her for a thorough tutorial on making a hat with circular needles. Now I'm ready to get together again for the next step as I have a knitted column several inches tall that needs to get smaller & joined together (Pamela!!!!???)

Allrighty it's time to tuck Alex into his bed with a book then sneak back into the family room and work on my Wii Bowling...... Love & Hugs & Happy Holidays !!