Christmas 2009

This Christmas turned out to be absolutely wonderful. Eli and I worried all year that this holiday season would be a sad one for us. First Christmas without Don and essentially the first one without my Dad. Last year seemed like a blur. But thankfully, it was also the first Christmas we had the kids home with us. And it was WONDERFUL.

We stayed in our new, cozy little house all day. Mom, Borky, Grandma and Grandpa came over Christmas morning to open gifts. Charlie and Liv didn't really get the whole unwrapping thing, but they had a blast jumping up and down in their new sled from Gigi and Grandpa. And once their toys were out of the packages (a task that takes several hours), they enjoyed playing with them all afternoon. The day worked out perfectly. Mom made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we ate while we opened stockings. Then we moved to the living room to start on gifts. Charlie and Liv opened one gift each before they were ready for a morning nap. While they slept, the adults exchanged gifts. We got some great new things for the house!

Once Charlie and Liv woke up, we finished with their presents (they had A LOT of presents) and sat down to visit a while. My Mother so generously brought over all of the food for Christmas dinner and even made it in MY kitchen! Talk about easy for the hostess! It was delicious, even after a potato burned in the oven and smoked us out of the house! :) It wouldn't be Christmas without some little snafu.

That evening Leslie, Dustin and Henry stopped by to visit. It was great to see them and spend time with them. They day was so quiet and relaxing. So unlike any other Christmas I have had. But I really enjoyed it.

The day after Christmas we went over to Laura's and did the gift exchange there. But not before we stopped off to buy ourselves a brand new Nikon D3000! Merry Christmas to me! I have no pictures of Christmas proper, but I have PLENTY from the days following. We also spent less on the camera than we expected, so we also sprung for a NetBook. Now I have internet access right on my kitchen counter. Recipes right at my fingertips! I'm loving both of my new gadgets.

So this Christmas was a total success. Quiet and filled with family and friends. I couldn't have asked for more. Charlie and Olivia are loving all of their toys and looking cute in a few new outfits. Thank you to everyone for all of your thoughtful and generous gifts!

Now for the pictures. I'm warning you, this is looooong! I mean, I just got a new camera for goodness sake! How could I possibly edit all of those pictures down much? Not to mention the sheer number of loved ones I wanted to include. So grab a cup of...whatever you drink...and settle in for a great slide show. :) Or...watch some now and watch some later. Or...leave and come back later. Or...don't watch it at all. After all, they're my memories. :)