So Much Fun... (but not too much!)

Possibly too many pictures, though.

We essentially had two Christmases, because Calvin had to work on Christmas Day. Christmas Eve was with his parents and sister and her family, and Christmas Day was with my family. The girls did great with all the hullaballo. I had to take down the Christmas tree the day after Christmas to fit the new toys into our small house. ( Which lead to fits of internal dialogue for me about materialism and teaching the girls about giving and how Christmas isn't about shopping, and about the tremendous amounts of junk you can get for pretty cheap these days, and how at the same time that I wanted to teach them valuable lessons, I also wanted there to be a lot of fun stuff for them to open. I'll be mulling all that over)

But, yes, our Christmas: I'll let the photos tell the story...

The weekend before Christmas, we feasted at Mt. Hermon's Christmas Banquet/Concert series with Grandma and Grandpa Lewis and Auntie Evie and Uncle Randy and the cousins. Adessa LOVES her cousins. Thank you, cousins, for being so attentive to my girls.



This shot is pre-banquet. These pictures kinda make me wish I'd waited until after the banquet to do the Christmas cards.


Monday, 12/21 my merry mom's group decorated gingerbread houses.


All this fun done near tuckered 'em out!


Eliana and our tree, on Christmas Eve eve. I love pictures with the tree, they are instantly interesting and magical. I think this means I should get more houseplants.


Christmas Eve morning, we opened our little family's presents. Say cheese!


Hey, this is fun!


Opening presents with the Lewis Clan after our delicious Christmas Eve feast and revelry.


Opening presents with the Beck clan, Christmas morning. What Calvin missed was...

Adessa's first and favorite present. After opening a trunk full of dress-up gowns and accessories, Adessa was interested only in prancing and curtseying and sashaying around. She had to be talked into opening her other wonderful gifts. And now, post Christmas, she has to be talked out of wearing only princess gowns in the cold, in the rain, to the grocery store, etc.


Pausing to rest for a moment after the present-opening frenzy.


Ben and I with the gorgeous sign that he made for our family. This thing is beautiful and will feature prominently in our house.


Adessa snuggled with Auntie Lolo before our Christmas dinner at church, which was the end of the Christmas fun. Also which, lucky for you, I didn't get any pictures of. 8) Happy Holidays!