Merry Christmas!

Christmas take 2!!!
Jack and Alex hang out...
Jack's new cheesy grin... he says "cheese" at the camera now!
Jack shows his stocking who's boss...
Trying out his new snowsuit on Christmas day...



Little boy who loves his new hat....
Hooray for tissue paper!

Jack and mom-mom on Christmas morning...Jack explores the tree at Lulu's house...

We've been having a lovely Christmas in Aurora these past few days. It's been a combination of lots of relaxation (Claire is a sublime hostess!) and very busy visiting with family. The group here has expanded significantly in recent years, and this year's Christmas dinner had 19 guests, 5 of whom were under 5 years old. The "under 5 " set changes the dynamic of family gatherings, that's for sure. We are very kid-focused now, and the opening of presents goes very quickly. And loudly. But, lucky for us, its a family full of adorable and really, well- behaved under-fives, so its been fun.

A quick run-down of our Christmases so far: We kicked everything off on the 23rd, with fake Christmas eve-- Nat and I headed off to Severance Hall for a wonderful evening with the Canadian Brass; a great concert and all the better because it was free! :) Then, Grandma and Auntie Bec joined us for cookies and the traditional opening of one gift. The morning of the 24th we woke up and had a second "fake Christmas morning" whereupon we opened our Dollar Store stocking presents. Jack took charge of his stocking this year-- he knew exactly what to do! His favorite gift by far was the "monster truck". The boy is seriously truck-obsessed.

We then packed up and headed off and were in Aurora by 3:00. We enjoyed a nice evening with Randy and Amy and the kiddos, went to the Fargo with Jamo and Casey while Lulu stayed with sleeping Jack, then Nat and I went to church at 11... It's not Christmas if you're not exhausted and busy, right?

Christmas morning was great, relaxed and fun with 5 adults and Jack. Jackster was a good participant all around, saying "wow" about his presents and showing good appreciation for what was inside the packages, in addition to the bows and (his favorite part) the tissue paper. We made it through stockings and half of the tree presents before he needed a nap...
We relaxed through the afternoon and then (rinse and repeat!) we did it all again, only with even more presents. (Note the photo above, Christmas take two!). It was complete unwrapping madness this year with 3 4-year olds, a 3 year old, and Jack in attendance. Jack, by the way, LOVES his older cousins. He bonded expecially with Alex. They seemed to know that they were close agemates, and I think Alex enjoyed the chance to be the "big boy" for a change. Presents were followed by a lovely Christmas dinner and socializing and then BED!

The 26th, once we recovered, we headed out on a marathon day of shopping the sales, in Ithaca and at the Mall in the field. As if we did not have enough stuff already..! Today, we had planned to go skiing, but the day dawned rainy and warm and we opted to save our $80. We stayed close to home-- Jack is currently fighting either a cold or a tooth or both. Nat and I did scamper off to a movie this afternoon while Jack enjoyed quality time with Lulu. Randy et al came over again tonight. Tomorrow we visit with the Kuhn's again, to see the newly arrived Emily, Grant and Megan, before we head home...