Christmas Day

Christmas was a very pleasant experience this year. We told the kids they could wake up at 6:00, which I'm pretty sure is at least an hour later than I woke my parents up when I was Maisie's age.This is the sight they beheld, when first entering the living room.

Kind of magical, isn't it? For me, Christmas doesn't feel the same if you don't open your presents when it's still dark outside. The kids were all very excited for whatever it was they had to open, which makes me feel like we've done something right as parents. No whining, or complaining that their pile wasn't as big as another siblings or whatever. And many excited "Thanks you(s)!", and "I love it!" were heard.

I'd tried really hard to surprise Teag this year, and I thought I'd managed it fairly well, but it turns out he'd overheard part of a conversation with my partner-in-crime, Tom. I'd arranged for Tom to by Teag the gun he'd been so anxiously wanting to buy for months now, and we made the switch on Christmas Eve. Either way, he got what he wanted, which was good.

Teag's expression in this picture is a little disturbing though :). Teag got me several things on my list, as well as a few surprises, including a very pretty ring with Celtic knots in it; I'm a fan of knots in jewelry.

Immediately after all presents were opened, the kids started playing/putting together/experimenting with their new stuff.

Putting together her new Lord of the Rings Lego ship

We let Finn sleep so he wouldn't be grumpy for the whole day, and everyone had fun watching him open his presents when he finally woke.

And just because it is seriously cool, here is a picture of the completed pirate ship. Not only is it huge, it's very elaborate and detailed. Maisie had it put together by the day after.

For those aficionados of LOTR's, this is one of the Corsair pirate ships that appear in the Return of the King, complete with a tiny, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Yup, I'm a nerd.

The rest of Christmas day was spent with the Rogers, opening more presents and feasting. The older kids played football, and the younger kids napped or watched movies. It was a pleasant, relaxed, and mostly hassle free day. The best kind of holiday.

And now I'll sign off for the year, goodbye 2013! May the new year ahead be kind.