Christmas 2012

The official Christmas festivities started with Christmas Eve service at the Fry's church with a lovely service and a 5-yr old holding a lit candle. It all ended well.  We had dinner with Aunt Vicky, Uncle Matt, Pop-pop and Grandma Pop-pop and watched some football.  We came home at a decent hour with two very wound-up children.  Just like last year, there was no objection to going to bed in fact Will kept insisting that he was very tired and wanted to go to sleep.  Before I let him do that, he wrote a note to Santa "Santa:  You can choose.  Love, Will" and a picture of a pirate ship battle, obviously.  

 

 Some of us were very excited to be in pajamas.  Some of us... not so much. 

Christmas morning dawned bright and EARLY.  Like 4:45 a.m. early.  Will raced into our room, "Santa came! And it's time to get up!"  It wasn't actually.  He and I snuck downstairs to watch cartoons so that the other two family members would stay asleep.  I dozed off and on only to be awaken by "Hey Mom - what do you think Santa brought?" or "How does Santa keep track of his list?"  etc. etc. etc. 

Reina woke up at a more respectable 6:30 and by the time we fed dogs, warmed up the house, and a bunch of other stuff that irritated the two family members who were READY to open presents, it was 7:00 ish.  Will opened up a big castle (not Lego this year) and Reina received a Barbie with a horse that walks. 

Glenn looked festive in his jammies.  I just asked for his (and received) permission to put a picture of him wearing pajamas on the internet. 

 Reina surveying her loot.

 After the first wave of presents, we took a break, started breakfast, shoveled the walk (we had a white Christmas!) and geared up for Round 2.  Everyone came over and we opened up presents for a few more hours and ate a delicious brunch mostly due to my brother-in-law's awesome cooking skills.  I didn't grease the pan enough for the small batch of muffins I was responsible for but the tops were yummy.  Besides the giant castle, Will got a bunch of Lego's, a remote control batmobile that is already tormenting the dogs and a tie from his goofy aunt and uncle who tried to capture his response on video - it was a rather subdued "but I didn't want this..." even after I coached him earlier in the morning about what to say if you open something that you didn't necessarily want .... "thank you."  Reina got a remote controlled cat that meow's every 3 seconds until you finally locate the off/on switch, a pair of cats from her relative cats in Minnesota, Lego's, food, and coloring supplies.  She has opened up a cabbage patch doll from Grandma and Pop-pop, took one look at it and said "But I didn't ask for this" and then she offered it to me and insisted that it should live in my room.  No amount of cajoling could get her to take another look at poor Brynn Lea so for now she remains perched on top of our piano until the picky 3-yr old decides to give her a second glance. 

So by lunchtime, all of the guests had slid back to their own houses (snowy roads out there!) and things started slowing down at the Pauley house.  By 1ish, just about everyone was asleep despite the frequent protestations of "But I'm Not Tired!"

Reina napped with all three new kitties, tentatively named at this point:  Miss Kitty, Miss Kitty and Miss Kitty.

Tomorrow, it's back to the real world of work, cleaning up this house that looks like it's been hit with a wrapping paper bomb and after Christmas sales, but tonight we'll enjoy the last little bit of Christmas 2012.  We hope yours was as happy as Reina surrounded by a bunch of stuffed cats.