Twas the Night After Christmas

When all thru the house, everyone is weary, even the baby Jack. Abby is cuddling with Gramma with care and Adrea is still in her Christmas pjs from the morning before.

I already feel smug. I've broken down the Christmas boxes - those are usually the bane of my existence around this time because packages have come and usually been filled randomly through the days before Christmas with non-perishable and perishable alike. This time, we were almost tidy!

Jack proved again that he will not. Will NOT sleep when there are people around. It's not even like he's an Abby and interacts with everyone - there's just something about the energy of other people that gets him excited.

Christmas Eve we did something a little insane. We wanted a cohesive grandkids picture - i.e. same type - i.e. Picture People since we've done it every year that there have been more than one grandchild in the picture (no pun intended), but Sarah and I were just having trouble getting our butts to the mall considering neither of us needed to go there for shopping purposes, so, with resigned desperation I called December 22 to find the only available appointments left were on Christmas Eve... at 8:30 am. Oh yeah (I said in imitation of Kronk), we'll take it.

So, the holiday started off hectic. But all went well and how they got some with Jack not screaming I do not know. Abby looked... all gangly and beautiful. When she got gangly I don't know.

We headed off to Gramma's house for my side of the family Christmas. Which was very nice. Abby was overwhelmed in the glory of her presents, Jack was "ooOoooooooo" with all the cars, I am beyond happy smothered in new camera equipment, inspiration for photos via a book I wanted, and fudge - enough fudge to overdose on fudge - which is of course impossible... but you know - if the ambulance driver's ask what happened to me - it was lack of fudge willpower.

Anyway - from there we went to MarySue and David's annual Christmas Eve dinner which was also very nice. We played, we feasted, I tried to live in the moment and not just concentrate on the fudge waiting for me at home. No, really... it was VERY cool.



The kids finally crashed at home - both would probably gone on another two hours if we'd let them. Jack slept so long without a peep Steve and I were both checking on his breathing in the morning.

Christmas morning at my house was simple and wonderful. I again, made out like a bandit with a FLASH (oh - you all need to be scared now) and a ruggedized hard drive (i wonder why).
I don't think we put anything in Jack's stocking last year... except his pjs...

Now he's a walking mumbling crazy kid.
Abby's fondness for magazines led her to discover "my twin doll" and wanted one for Christmas even if that is all she got from us. Gramma made matching outfits for Abby and the doll and another doll... it was a bonanza of happiness for my dressing up loving girl.
Isn't she cute in the morning?

Abby had picked presents for ALL of her family all by herself with Gramma and was very proud of her choices.

Steve got the least since I actually ABIDED by our agreement to only get stocking stuffers (he said if the drive and the flash were not in their boxes they would have fit in my stocking... I said I think he missed the point)... but he's resiliant... and he has a happy wife which has to count for something.

As always Christmas morning at MarySue and David's is a wonderland for Christmas morning since the stockings are always the main event - and MAN can they do stockings.

Abby surveying with satisfaction her loot
Jack just happy to be running around in the chaos
Can you see the joy?
Grandpa gave her a gorgeous necklace with a sparkly "A" on it stuffed in a teddy bear... watch out, you might start a tradition!
Jack proved he is Steve's flesh and blood by stealing half of Steve's sticky cinnamin bun provision.
Samantha was excited!
David was thoughtful
Caiah was...
happy I think ;)
Jack went around stealing everyone else's sticky buns after finishing off Steve's...


On the way to my Dad's Abby announced she was going to take a long rest for the duration of the trip and prompty did this:

We got to spend some time, just sit down time there before heading off to my Dad's Christmas event. Which was, totally nice. No pictures. My little camera was out of batteries and I didn't want to test my flash on unsuspecting relatives.

It rained most of the day, which was sort of nice to have a cuddly sort of Christmas. And it was especially nice that the rain subsided for our drive to Camarillo.

All is well my friends...
Merry Christmas and Goodnight