Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas!

Without further ado, let the picture show begin. :)

This is the sight that greeted John this morning, when sounds of
glee erupted from the vicinity of the front room...

Taylor made the very wise decision to let her parents sleep in while she made short work of going through the presents from Santa in her stocking. Among them were an Ugly Doll named Ox, chocolate and mints, that elusive Wisconsin state quarter we spent all year looking for, juggling balls, a new Hello Kitty water bottle. The piece de resistance though, was the Nintendo DS personal game system. I'm pretty sure that's what all the squealing was over. :)

Taylor played the role of helper elf, as usual. Even though 99%
of the gifts under the tree were for her, as usual.

Among all of those bright, shiny packages she found a massive
make-up set from Uncle Henry...

the much coveted "Fat Man Book" from Grandma Lou...
(so called because of the 3D pic of the World's Heaviest Human inside)

Games from Grandma and Grandpa...

And a game for her DS from Mom and Dad. I was surprised she
didn't wonder how we knew she was going to receive
a DS from Santa...

And, after about 37 gifts, give or take a couple, it was time
to make Mickey waffles.

Every year that we celebrate Christmas at home, we make Mickey waffles.
We started this family tradition on Taylor's 2nd Christmas.

I stumbled to the kitchen to whip up the batter, break out the fruit compote and whipped cream and get the table ready. 10 minutes later, Mickey joined the festivities. I even felt brave enough to attempt a bite or two, which very soon thereafter proved to be a huge mistake. No regrets, though. It is Christmas after all!

The rest of the day was spent together, talking to our loved ones on the phone, enjoying the gifts we were blessed to receive. Late afternoon was nap time for everyone. John cozied up under the beautiful afghan his mom crocheted for our Christmas gift this year.

The best nap accessory ever--a 100% wool afghan made by Mom.

Alas, the festivities are winding down. John is scheduled to work this evening and Taylor is ready for bed. I am planning on taking up semi-permanent residence on the family room sofa until this illness is gone once and for all!

We were separated from loved ones by distance this year, but as always, feel very close to them in heart. May love and peace be with you all.

Kristin