Christmas in Pictures

Merry Christmas! Christmas is full of surprises, and ours was no exception.

Midnight Mass is the highlight of the Christmas celebration for me, and this year we braved it once more, this time with 2 little ones. One little girl slept the whole time, not moving a muscle in response to the trumpets next to us, nor the merry greetings of those around us. One little girl was bright-eyed and wide awake for the entire duration. Now guess which one was which? ... No, guess again!!!

We had a slow start to Christmas morning, but once we made it downstairs (after lots of snuggling and milk) Bella was a transformed little girl. She caught on to unwrapping the presents and was thrilled with each treasure she found. Santa seemed to know exactly what my little girl would like, as is confirmed by her enthusiasm each morning since. She likes the idea of presents so much, in fact, that each present she unwraps now is greeted with an excited "WOW!" I loved watching her play with each toy, her eyes shining, running around in uncontainable excitement and pure joy.

Reality came to play throughout the morning, as well, in the form of lots of laundry. Bella went through 3 pairs of pajamas, Anastasia was on her 3rd outfit, Daddy and Mama each needed new attire, too. Both girls got a bath, and after lunch we ALL slept well! The good news is there was no real sickness, just phlegm and poorly positioned diapers. Lesson learned, I hope.

As we do every year we headed off to my parents' house after nap, and there we celebrated with the rest of my brothers and their families. The cousins have such a great time together, and the euphoria of Christmas only serves to heighten the mood... and the volume.













Click! Bella loves to "take pictures" and says "cheese" each time she gets her hands on an unattended camera.



oooo, what else is in there?

















The Sunday before Christmas we enjoyed "breakfast with Santa" at our local volunteer fire company. Bella is in love with Frosty, and allowed him to hold her, but preferred to greet Santa from the safety of Mama's lap. Anastasia was more than cooperative for yet another photo op.
















A Merry Christmas to All!!!