A few holiday pics

Just a few pictures. Not as many as I'd like, but the new sd card for one of our cameras apparently can't be read on my computer with our old card reader. So I may have some more Christmas pictures to post a week or so into January (damn Super Saver shipping at Amazon).

For an update, I think my kids spent three entire days wearing nothing but pajamas (underwear was changed daily, and pajamas were changed as needed). They finally got dressed today, mainly because we went out for breakfast and then Alex went to get his first haircut in New Jersey. He was very apprehensive about getting the cut, but finally started warming up to the idea when he discovered he could watch a Power Rangers episode while having it done (much more fun than watching the Snip-Its characters he never really cared about).

We had another "Bedford Falls" experience with our wonderful neighborhood. Every Christmas Eve (though we did it Christmas Day this year due to rain), one of our neighbors organizes luminarias up and down our street. So whoever wants to participate pays a nominal cost for materials, and at 5:30 on the given day everyone goes out and lights them up. It is very beautiful, and many people can enjoy it since we are a slightly busy cut-through street. I tried to get some pictures (which are on the other camera), so hopefully I can post something eventually.


Here's our beautiful Christmas tree, though I had forgotten how many damn needles fall off the real trees. Unfortunately because of that I think our tree is coming down tomorrow. But I'm leaving the rest of the decorations up until New Years.


Our festive, non-working fireplace. We realized we need to get a screen for it, even before we get it up to speed (the people we bought the house from never even attempted to turn it on in the entire time they lived here). You can see our new fifth stocking on the right underneath Aex's stocking. Grace requested one for Lucy, which Gramma nicely whipped up in no time at all.


I am trying to create some new Christmas traditions for the family, and one I came up with this year was making some popcorn/cranberry garlands for the birds. We have a smallish evergreen tree right outside our back door that the birds like to get in, so we had the perfect place to hang them.


This picture just made me laugh because Grace loves to do this with poor Lucy. "Look, look - doesn't she look CUTE like this!"


Another tradition of ours, started with Grace a few years ago. We HAVE to decorate cookies for Santa. What else would we leave him???


Grace admires her new Kit bed from American Girl on Christmas morning. She's wearing the Kit nightgown for big girls she opened up on Christmas Eve. She gets happy to see anything in those reddish-pink boxes.


Alex opening up his new Batcave. As in previous years, he was ready to stop opening presents and just play, no matter how many gifts were left. I thought it was weird that I had to say "No Alex, you have to open more presents before I get the Batcave out of the box."