Holiday Happenings

It all started with the perfect christmas card picture after the christmas cards had all been sent. Will climbed in to "take a nap" and told Dad to put Emmy in with him. They actually stayed there long enough for Brad to get the camera and take a picture. Then Will was up and running again.

Christmas Eve day was spent frosting the white sugar cookies and Grandma Beulah's chocolate jumbos with her white boiled cream and sugar frosting that I rolled out and baked on Christmas eve eve, making a chicken pot pie and lasagna for the crazy undecided about what we should eat family, making a batch of cream cheese mints for my sister, and getting two babies ready for a party at Gram's basically solo (with a lot of child care help from Gram who refuses to put knife to cookie since I became a big girl). Will stood at the counter long enough to lick all of the purple frosting off the knife and let Dad take two pictures before he left for work.

We spent a lot of time this week wearing the holiday hats as directed by Will.

We each have our own: Emmy's is the little elf hat, Will and Mom have the white fur Santa hats and Dad has the black fur Santa hat. No matter where we were in the house, if it was time to wear hats Will found them and delivered them to the rightful owner commanding "Put hat on" with nary a care at how stinking hot those things are.

Later, we packed up and headed to Gram's house for supper and gift opening as we do every year. I don't have any pictures but even if I did I'm sure you wouldn't be able to see much amid the flying paper and fast moving toddler hands.
Here is Em and her new baby friend Peyton Lyric that she got from Gram. She loves her.

Santa did manage to visit this year. (We forgot to send a list last year, I guess) Will got a set of take apart vehicles which he LOVES. He takes them apart and says "fix it submarine" until we put it back together for him. He seems to know how they go back together but doesn't have time to bother with all that. He also got a set of 20 duplo people who fit perfectly in his melissa and doug house that he got from Gram. He likes to stand them all up (or, better yet, have mom do it) and then have the dinosaur attack and knock everyone down.

Despite the rounds of stomach flu (Emmy, Gram and Dad), the 18 inches of new snow, the gentian violet treated thrush, the regression from using the potty, and the kaput water heater we had a wonderful christmas. Now that everyone seems healthy again we will be planning our celebration with Gramma Lorraine and the rest of the Karstens' in Hutchinson. Brad was puking when we were supposed to be headed that way making it about the 4th holiday we have missed with them due to illness. It isn't intentional - honest.
And now the hubbub is over for another year. Sigh.