Christmas at Our House

We had a few brief days home between visiting families to have a little Christmas all ourselves. It was a sweet, quiet time together, much less pomp and circumstance than at the other celebrations. Everything was smaller: our tree, our pile of presents, our livingroom. But the smiles were just as big and the stockings may have been fuller than anywhere else.

Elias loved his stocking. He got a new rattle, some teething pacifiers, and a little book about a bee. (You can tell how much he likes something by how much of his tongue you can measure.)

Kindred dug deep and found a whistle that sounds like a bird when you fill it with water, a kazoo, a "Thomas Choochoo" book, some powder, and a koosh ball.

This is me and my new keyboard, which I love love love. It is solely the reason there have been any updates in the past 2 weeks. Smart smart choice by the husband. And I'm wearing another snazzy gift, a sweatshirt from the Dotted Line Shirt Company.

At some point Elias lost it. This is what happens when he isn't strapped in. The little crazy bugger. (I must put a disclaimer here that I was not actually in the room when this picture was taken.)

So this book is called Pete the Sheep Sheep, and I thought it was perfect for Kindred. It is a book about a man named Shawn and his sheep sheep (instead of a sheep dog) who makes an excellent herder because he is so polite that the sheep just do what he asks them to. Shawn is a sheep shearer, and Shawn and Pete eventually make their living giving sheep cool haircuts. I thought if Kindred saw that lambys were getting their hair cut with scissors and clippers that perhaps he would get used to the idea and maybe we could maybe cut his hair, maybe.

Michael got a few nice dressy shirts and a tie from the boys, and a pizza making tray and iPod case from me. Sorry no pictures. (And the VforVendetta graphic novel, and a DLSC sweatshirt, and...) just kidding

So we were in Philly over New Years and watched the city's huge fireworks display with friends in a penthouse condo balcony (on the 25th floor) overlooking the river and the barge where they were being set off. ??? A good friend of ours cleans this condo, and the wealthy owners were at their other house-- in San Francisco. Kindred was cautious about the lights and booms at first, but then he decided he really enjoyed them, and asked for more when they were over. (Yes, folks, the fireworks were at midnight. Yes, my nearly-2 year old was watching them. Yes, we had put him to bed for a few hours of sleep. No, he did not sleep a wink. And finally, yes, Elias slept through everything in his carseat in a back bedroom.)

On January 2, we headed to Pgh to visit my folks. That's another post entirely.

But here's some fun last pics. Elias in his favorite backwards-C position that he lounges in frequently, him snuggled up in his carseat (peek!), and Kindred wanting to be just like his brother.