For auld lang syne

Christmas 2010

By 9AM, the kids were being situated by Oma so she could take a picture. Yeah, Oma has never really taken a picture of three children at once so her patience was tested quickly.

Aunt Brenda called and said she and Vandy were coming over so I tried to delay the gift opening, but after more than a half-an-hour of stalling we started without them. Jory was over the moon at receiving two trucks. I got a kiss, hug, and a thank you. Like last year, trucks make all other gifts pale in comparison. But I learned, unlike last year I made sure I let him open the trucks towards the end of the morning.

Aunt Brenda and Vandy arrived to find Rowan confused as to why every gift under the tree wasn't for her and why did turns have to be taken when unwrapping gifts. Ah, she sounded just like her brother did when he was her age.

Layla didn't spend the whole morning under the dining room table like last year. She actually opened some presents, but the whole Christmas thing is still over her head. I'm sure next Christmas she'll be asking the same questions Rowan is asking this Christmas.

After the presents were opened, the trash picked up, it was time to get ready and go to cousin Tony's. An hour after we were suppose to arrive, we arrived along with four other families. We were the early ones. Nearly two hours later, we finally ate but by then no one was hungry because to appease the hungry mass chips and dip was put out. It was like the kids had never seen food before. I guess no one had eaten anything since breakfast.

Once dinner was completed, the kids played, while the adults cleaned the kitchen. And by adults, I mean, the women. Why don't men ever go in there and start washing dishes? Start transferring food from one large pot to a smaller container? Anyhoo, when this was done, it was on to Jory's birthday cake. I remembered the candles this year. SCORE! We gathered around in the makeshift tent Tony made in his carport and sang happy birthday to the second greatest boy ever to be born on Christmas Day. Then we partook in his cake. This year I was adventurous and bought a marble cake with buttercream frosting. It was a gamble as I couldn't remember if I really liked buttercream, but I discovered yes, I do like buttercream.

The cake was put away and on to the presents. By now, the sun had long set and Tony decided we'd have a 1800s Christmas but instead of a lantern to read by we got the glow from his plasma tv showing the Laker game. Suffice to say, after the second gift I couldn't read I stopped letting the kids open gifts. Luckily in all the uproar and noise, they didn't really notice. So I quietly put the gifts in a bag to open later at home.

Jory was thrilled to receive another truck. It's official we are maxed out with trucks for the foreseeable future. And his Auntie Mona brought him into the hand held technology arena with her purchase of a Leapster. Rowan was ecstatic over the gift of Strawberry Shortcake dvd. I'm not sure why she was so excited, but she was. I'm sure she doesn't know that her mother can't stand that obnoxious Strawberry.

All in all, it was a good Christmas. Not because of the toys, the ereader I got, which will be impossibly outdated when I can actually read books again, but because we got to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with our loved ones, our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are so blessed to know the Christ in Christmas.