All sorts of sweets

The kids are blessed to have some wonderful grandmothers in their life. Grandma Geddes, Grandma Paula, Grammy Miller, and Kathleen--Lizzy's mom--the last two being honorary grandmas, all make our three munchkins feel very loved. A few days before Christmas, Stephen took Millie and the boys over to Grammy Miller's house for some fun sugar cookie-making. They came home very proud of their creations. Christmas Eve found them lucky enough to frost Kathleen's super yummy sugar cookies, the same ones she mails us for Halloween and Easter from Virginia, since she was in town visiting Liz. They couldn't wait to put some on Santa's cookie plate that night.

Photo-less Christmas Eve:
We enjoyed a delicioso Mexican smorgasbord, including tamales, enchiladas, crock pot black beans, Spanish rice, "rockamole" as Eli calls it with our new addiction--Roasted Garlic and Black Bean Tostito chips-- and assorted veggies.  Stephen's great uncle, Earl, and his daughter Lisa joined us for festivities, and I loved hearing Uncle Earl's fighter pilot stories from World War II.  1) We ate  2) we did Nativity finger puppets  3) we opened some PJ's and slippers  4) we put the kids to bed  5) we played games, and 6) Stephen and I stayed up 'til one in the morning wrapping presents.  Steps 1 and 5 to be repeated many succeeding evenings.

Christmas Day:




Unplanned but perfectly matching 'jamas (thanks, G'ma & G'pa) and slippers (from us)

 



My cop-out Christmas morning breakfast.  Let's face it, it's all about the presents.

 



How does Santa know I love "rockstick" (translation = chapstick)?

 



Love my easy-to-please man.  Seriously, who gets this excited over white trash stocking food?

 



The boys down to business with their new planes and pilot action figures

 



Mills took occasional exits from the gift-opening hooplah to go read a book by the fireplace

 
Not pictured: our mad dash to get ready for church and my extremely last-minute scrambling to write a talk for church.  Will there ever come a day when I don't procrastinate?

Christmas night: dinner, gifts, more games.

As I mentioned above, we had a lot of Geddes family game nights over the break, so I'd like you to note the progress Uncle Stephen made with his very discerning, albeit adorable, niece.  She has had an aversion to him and his beard for some time now.  We're talking a few months.  He can't resist trying, however.  He'll do anything to make this girl like him.




Christmas night





Last night

 He finally did it!  He won her over.