The tree, post-Santa.
The Grand Entrance.
Of course, Abby goes for Michael's pile, first.
It works out, though, since Michael tends to follow his big sister around.
Michael tries out the rocking horse. He's interested in the soft texture, but not so much in the ride.
Taking pictures of gift-unwrapping proved to be rather difficult, as Abby was often too close by, and virtually always facing the wrong direction.
Short break for story time. The unwrapping of gifts was a gradual process, as the kids tended to fixate on each new thing for long periods of time, and could not be interested in new presents until they were ready to move on.
Michael, hanging out in his new clubhouse; dreaming up all kinds of mischief, I'm sure.
The babies open up their new "laptops..."
... and Mommy discovers that she got one of her own, too! (Thank you to everyone who generously contributed to make my gift possible; I'm still loving it, even as I type.)
Abby discovers her hat-box, and begins to try on many excellent new hats
Chef Abby makes an appearance (I love that Dopey ear, though I made sure to adjust it after getting in some pictures, because I didn't want her to end up with a sore little earlobe).
All dressed up for an extended family get-together in Flushing, NY.
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| Awww! (Okay, admittedly, she's probably just trying to get that plastic disc out of his hand, but it still looks adorable...) |
Not pictured:
- Michael spends Christmas Eve night alternating between napping and screaming in one-hour intervals (he's still not adjusted to sleeping in a new place, though last night was much better).
- Abby waits until the video camera is no longer rolling and she is on one of her last presents to exclaim, upon seeing what's inside, "Oh my goodness!"(She had just heard her Nana say it in reference to something else, but it was still cute, and so perfectly stated.)
- Abby gets a bit of "stage fright" upon entering a houseful of less-than-familiar friends and relatives. Interestingly, she seems to be becoming more shy as she gets older. Thankfully, after a bit of time, space apart from the festivities, snuggles from Mommy, and temptations of yummy appetizers, she comes around and turns back into a little social butterfly.
- Abby gets her first taste of sparkling cider, and Michael gets his first shortbread cookie.
- Good food and great conversation.
- Lots more joy and laughter than I could ever capture on film.
