Christmas Recap

We are getting around to taking our Christmas decorations down this weekend, so I thought I should probably get around to blogging about Christmas, too, before its all a distance memory with the day-to-day stresses of the semester (starting next week).

For us, Christmas Eve and Christmas were a bit different, as its the first year we've been a pastor's family--Andy was quite busy with 4 different Christmas Eve services, followed by Christmas morning, and then due to the timing of Christmas this year, Saturday night & Sunday morning services immediately following Christmas.

While he was busy working Christmas Eve, Simon and I busied ourselves making some sugar cookies! Simon helped with every step, except those involving the hot oven...and he had quite the wonderful time, right up until it was time to put the sprinkles away because we were out of cookies to decorate. Then the mini-tantrum started. But until that part, it was a lovely time :).

Steve, Marilyn, Karlie, & Peter came to stay with us Christmas Eve and through Christmas Day. We went to church, opened presents, slept, opened stockings, went to church, ate, opened presents...hmmm...there was a lot of present opening, wasn't there? We decided to follow a tradition my family had when growing up far from our extended family--on Christmas Eve we got to open the "out of town" gifts. So all those gifts that had been sent by grandparents and others collected under the tree until Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas day more gifts from each other and Santa appeared under the tree.

Mom & Simon, at stocking time

Karlie & Steve...I'm guessing it had been a few years since they had last opened stockings!

Peter modeling one of his Christmas gifts

Simon got a basketball hoop! Here he is helping everyone try it out by passing the ball around so we could each take a shot.

We went to Appleton to see Jess' extended family, as well. While we were there, we went to a great children's museum with Jess' cousins and their kids. One room was full of balls and air-powered tubes for the balls to travel through, with levers and other settings the kids could change to alter the paths the balls took once in the system. Simon mostly liked collecting as many balls as he could hold...but Andy and Jess thought the room itself was pretty awesome.

Simon and Clara playing in the water room.

The motivation for our trip was to attend Jess's cousin, Jim's, wedding reception--here are Erin & David, and Jim & Ally (married abroad over Thanksgiving).

After Appleton it was back to Rochester briefly (with Sarah & Josh in tow), and then on to Red Wing for another Christmas celebration. Here Peter is checking out his gift from cousin Aaron--a HUGE octopus kite from China!

One of the most unusual, and as it turns out, beloved, gifts that Simon received was this huge stuffed fish from Uncle Mark. He loves to cuddle/tackle it! (If you ask what the fish is named, he'll say Dorothy...he hasn't quite gotten the idea of naming stuffed animals yet, but Elmo's fish is named Dorothy, so I think when he was first asked he was a little confused by the question and came up with the only fish name he knows--but it has stuck, and Dorothy now lives on our futon!)