Christmas Day

Christmas Day was wonderful.  My parents were here visiting, so it was fun to spend time with them.  This was the first time that they have seen Miles walking around so much. 

On Christmas Eve, the kids each opened up a gift, and it was matching red pajamas from Grandma & Granddad.  They looked ridiculously cute in them.  We tucked them in their beds, and then started assembling the play kitchen that we bought for them.  Grandma and Granddad did most of the assembling, because we went back to church to help clean up after the Christmas Eve services.  Thanks for the help, Grandma & Granddad!

On Christmas morning, the kids enjoyed playing with their new kitchen, new table and chairs, big toy car track thingy and other toys.

Our Little Elves Behind Their Kitchen

Miles enjoys some hot tea.

Our friends, Jason, Pam, Brad and Melissa came over for brunch after they served breakfast at the Durham Rescue Mission.  We made homemade cinnamon rolls and my parents bought a Honeybaked Ham.  The rest of the crew brought frittatas, sausage, fruit and juices to share.  It was delicious.  We were stuffed after that.

Practicing Using a Fork with Grandma

The kids enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper, boxes and packaging as much as the toys.

Melissa, Brad and Vivienne

 My dad has a knack for finding extremely entertaining gadgets/gizmos/games/toys at Christmas.  This Christmas, he did not disappoint.  We were sitting in the family room, and I heard this swooshing sound.  I looked to my right, and an enormous clown fish (about 4 feet long and 2 feet tall) "swam" (flew?) around the staircase.  Dad bought two helium-filled mechanical fish - one shark and one clown fish.  The babies were a bit timid at first, but by the second day, Vivienne was requesting that we bring the fish into the great room so that they could swim (fly?) around.

Vivienne feeds Eddie (the shark) with her fork.

Keep in mind that that Christmas tree is actually 9 feet tall.

It was a great Christmas with family, and so nice to be home, sleeping in our own beds.  It's hard to believe that next year, there will be five stockings hung from the mantle.  I hope Granddad has room for one more wee one on that lap of his.