Sunday, December 29, 2013

Christmas Bonus

Yep, still posting about Christmas.

But 2 days after Christmas, I took baptism pictures for my friend's daughter in our favorite forest:



And while we were there, we saw the tree in the first picture all decked out.

Loved it and had to bring the whole family back later that day to show them.



Sally was the most excited and couldn't resist a little rearranging.

Another bonus every time we go to the forest (which I finally learned has a name: Rip Van Winkle) is the dogs being walked. The owners are usually nice to let the kids play with them.

After a little trip to the library, Justin obliged my request to walk around by Coast Guard Pier.



All the Christmas lights were still up and it was so pretty. I felt like I hadn't been out much since Thanksgiving and wasn't quite ready for the Christmas season to be over. This brought me some closure.

This, and getting up close and personal with my favorite "Peace on Earth" lights. I didn't see them as much this year because of where we live. So sometimes I would specifically go out of my way just to drive past them.
Can't explain why they make me so happy, but they do. It was also cool seeing the huge boats being repaired on this dock.

On an unrelated note, we let the kids choose out their ornament for the year the day after Christmas (50% off, yay). The price tags aren't left on to be tacky, they're there so we can exclaim in 20 years about how cheap they were.
Arranged in order from oldest to youngest. Justin chose Auggie's little stocking. Love it. Love them all, actually.

K now I'm done w/Christmas. I think.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Christmas Day





























The pictures say it all.
K most everything.
It was a really great Christmas.
Justin was miraculously better late Christmas Eve.
The weather was perfect.
Our sandmen were awesome.
The Chinese food was not, but I love the tradition (2 years in a row makes it one).
And yes, Owen really did doze off in the middle of dinner.
Didn't last long, but he was wiped out.
Owen and Drew were beyond happy with their Nooks.
Sally wore her "real" high heels all day.
August developed pink eye.
One of my favorite things was riding Auggie down to the beach on my bike.
It is so fun every time.
Even better this time, because Justin drove us home and I didn't have to go up the hill.
Drew's little tooshie in his new underwear wasn't a bad ending to the day.

Christmas Eve

This was Christmas Eve.
But not Christmas Eve night.
This was at 2 in the afternoon.
They had been awake since like 4 in the morning,
thinking they got to open their one Christmas Eve present then.

They had a long day of waiting.

And it was kind of a long day in general.

Justin started throwing up the night before so we had to cancel our little Christmas Eve party.

And he wasn't available to help w/kids while I worked (only 1/2 day but it was a crazy work day).

But once I was done working and they had their naps, things got better.

After pizza for dinner we did the nativity with just our family.
I was the narrarator, Mary, an inn keeper, and an angel.
Justin was a sick Joseph.
Sally, the star.
Drew, a wise man.
and Owen, a shepherd.

There were last minute-changes, so here's what I have pictures of:





The actual nativity made me happy.
I just told the story from memory and we went with it.

Then they opened their one present.


A pillow pet for August, footies for Drew and Sally, and a shirt for Owen.



We watched Rudolph.

(notice the nest Auggie made between Justin's legs)

Then left cookies for Santa.

And the stockings were hung.
(there are random nails on that brick wall and that's where the kids wanted them)