Christmas shrapnel.

I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying all of the post-holiday blogging about afore-mentioned holidays (and by "afore" I mean the ones I just mentioned in the same sentence). There was adventure, intrigue, illness, stitches, lots of family and even more food. I tried so hard to keep things under control but found myself on Christmas morning calling my children back repeatedly to finish opening gifts. I say this every year, but next year WILL be different. We got so much from family I felt overwhelmed as I lugged basket after basket up the stairs to find places for all of our new, fun things...things that will have to be packed in a car in a few months...so maybe I should have solicited donations for a hitch and trailer to get everything back home. But the gifts were so thoughtful and so appreciated. But if I have to eat another meatball, I'm gonna puke.
So really, I hope despite all the stress of the times, your holidays were truly as enjoyable as ours.
Here is another week in pictures:
We got to talk to Clark a bunch this week. His port call made me jealous and sad at the same time. What a fun place to be, stinks that he had to be there all alone and missing Christmas with his family. I could tell you where he was, but then I would have to kill you...OK, not really since it already happened...he was in the south of France eating cheese, poor boy.We went to the Nutcracker put on by Salt Lake's own Ballet West. It was a great show and the girls started out very happy though only one was in "good" spirits enough by the end for pictures (we took this while we were all still very happy to be there...)
Christmas morning didn't wake us until 8am, yipee! We were greeted by lots of fun gifts from lots of loving people. And I'm glad to report that they are still playing with their new toys five days after Christmas...lookin good.
We went to the SLC Church History Museum where they have a fun kids' display. This is me preaching from a pulpit...we get the same effect whenever I open my mouth to talk to my kids.
The grandkids present at Christmas Eve put on a most adorable Nativity where they actually agreed upon playing different roles...last year we had a dozen angels...this year we had all the roles filled...including Mia who we convinced to be a shepherd, though she wouldn't let go of baby Jesus.
We had only one illness which landed me in the hospital for a totally entertaining 12 hours...if the illness hadn't killed me the boredom surely would have...that goes for Mo too who sat with me the entire time...she didn't get to play with the mechanical bed but she did get to keep her entire body covered during our stay (and no samples were taken from anywhere off her body.)

We took the girls to Build A Bear to spend their gifts from their Dad. He gave them gift cards for Christmas and a pre-recorded voice box for their new pets. They are adorable...though when Mia's monkey in the Snow White dress is talking with Clark's manly sailor voice it makes me slightly uncomfortable.

And so it goes...and keeps going.