Counting Down to the New Year

Ah, the quiet after Christmas. Younger-DS is napping, exhausted from two days of mad playing and shrieking and running. DD and Older-DS are chewing Chicklets and pal-ing around in low volume.

We had a good Christmas this year. For the first time since we've been married, we actually made it to mass, er, church, er, service...whatever they call it in non-Catholic terms--still trying to get used to the terminology of Protestantism (and gearing up for my trip to heck-in-a-handbasket, as the nuns in school would say...don't tell my parents ;-) )--on Christmas Eve for a candlelight vigil. DD and younger-DS hung out in the nursery, and you could see a little blonde head running hither and yon through the window. As we found out later, she was using her star wand to turn everyone to stone. Older-DS did a very good job sitting still, even though he was ready to fall asleep (as it lasted past bedtime).

We hightailed it home after services and put the rugrats to bed, and they finally all passed out mid-protest. Nooooooooooooo....snore.

Sometime around midnight, Santa came and put the presents under the tree. Older-DS woke up around 3. DH heard some rustling downstairs and when to check it out. Older-DS was arranging all the presents by whom they belonged to, in order to keep himself from opening them. DH did what he could to get ODS back into bed, but he was way too excited, so he was allowed to play on the computer for a while. Then he was ready to go back upstairs to sleep for an hour or so. He popped in our room around 4:30, when he was told to go into his sister's room and read for a bit, as his sister was curled up on our bed at the foot (right where my legs should have been if I had been allowed to sleep in non-fetal position). He came in again around, then 5:30. Around 5:45 we gave up and crawled out of bed. DD did not want to get up until she heard the word "Santa." Then we woke up Younger-DS and went downstairs to open them up.

They all had a wonderful time tearing off paper and finding the surprises inside. Younger-DS managed to open up a few items before getting completely pre-occupied by his stocking (which, btw, Gramma, you did a wonderful job!!! She has made stockings for all three of the kiddoes and they are gorgeous!). He did a better job at age 2 then his brother did...the first thing older-DS did at 2 was to pull out a set of alphabet flash cards from his stocking and would not open another present for several hours.

Our living room has not been the same since, with all the cardboard boxes and twist ties and various pieces of theft resistance packaging.

Yesterday they played and played and played and blew bubbles and shrieked and hooted and hollered and ran up and down the stairs and through the hallways, kitchen and living room and over furniture and under tables and up the walls and danced on the ceiling and crashed cars and turned us all into statues. Then cried, "Noooooooooosnore!" when we put them to bed.

The oldest two were a bit more mild mannered today, but that may have been their trip to the dentist and their favorite hygenist (who someone has a BIG crush on).

Tomorrow I head back to work. I could still use a few more days of vacation. Had a half day on Friday, we were given the day off on Monday, and I used up my last personal (use-it-or-lose-it) day on Tuesday and a vacation day for today. Luckily, tomorrow will be my only full day, as we will probably close around 3 on the Friday for New Years. Yea!

I think the kids are itchin' to get back to school, at least the older two. We'll see how Younger-DS does when he starts back to daycare next Tuesday, after staying home for three weeks. Should be interesting.

Well, here's the new year and all sorts of new adventures. Wish you all happiness and prosperity and a good night's sleep.