Christmas morning greeted us with twinkly lights and mounds of gifts. Funny, we always say we don't have anything, yet it all comes from the deepest depths of the closet somehow!
Amber searches for our traditional German pickle. Daryn hid it this year ... and it wasn't in the tree! Nice try, Amber!
Ethan found the pickle hidden inside the toe of the dogs' stocking, which had been emptied earlier in the morning, prior to breakfast and present opening.
Jo sent a great crafting kit ... a Tandy leather kit! The kids were full of oohs and ahhs. We haven't taken everything out yet. Perhaps we can incorporate it into school or a Boy Scout merit badge! Hmmm ...
Sporting his new house pants, Daryn ogles his new knife set from Mom and Dad. Nice and sharp! Thinking there might be some type of meat in our future ... steak for your birthday, Daryn?
When asked what they want for Christmas, the general response from the kids was, "Nothing, I have everything I need/want." That made it very difficult for shopping. However, they all did say they'd like clothes. I guess Goodwill is only fun to a point. New shirts were a hit this year! Evyn really likes the one he got from Grandma and Grandpa.
Ethan also likes his new shirts ... we have flannel loving kids!
Ethan wasn't sure what the etching was about, but he loved the griffin. I explained how, where, and when it was made and he thought that was pretty cool.
Gifts from New York! The boys (including Daryn) loved their new ties. I think the story about them should be shared by Grandma and Grandpa. Ethan and Evyn loved their new calculators, too. Of course, Amber is giggly over her socks ... never can have too many!
Daryn attempting to tie his new tie ... one-handed.
The bubble shirt ...
... is it for my dolls? Nope ... it's for ...
YOU! Yes! It fits! Amazing!
Hand warmers? Really! Hand warmers! YES! He was so excited about these!
Another great shirt for Evyn.
Prepping dinner. The bag has been greased by our sous chef, the veggies cut up for the cavity of the turkey.
Ethan learns how to prep a turkey ... including the removal of neck and giblets. EWWWW ... (his words!)
I get to dice up the celery for the stuffing. We also added apple this year. It was delicious.
Not for me? No, Joule, the Legos are not for you!
The little oil lamp was a gift from Daryn. It's a very nice ceramic lamp.
A shirt for Ian. He's very happy to have something long-sleeved and warm!
There's more than one way to get the wrapping off a package!
Couldn't resist getting this sign. Found it at the Festival Trees during the kids' first performance this year. It was a unanimous decision to get this for Daryn.
CALCULATOR!
Ethan enjoying his hacky sack ball.
Another shirt. Ethan really likes this one. It may be a bit big now, but he's happy he'll have it for more than a year.
She looks like Raggedy Ann, but is this perhaps Madelaine?
Wish you could have seen how giddy Ian was about getting this pocket knife and sharpening stone. He was quite the excited boy scout!
Are you kidding me?! WOW! Haven't plugged it in yet. But I know how I'll get those Christmas cards made now!
Last minute on the list ... he wants a ski mask. So, off I go searching through Ravelry until I found a free pattern. It went together quite quickly, actually. And he loves it ... and that's the important thing.
Daryn's brain hat. Long story with this one ... but let's say ... Daryn was surprized this year!
Gifts from Auntie Jo ... kerchiefs, recipe cards, (t-shirt for Ethan with geckos), and a great purple scarf for me (not pictured) which she designed herself and made.
As you can tell, Frog Boy didn't take long in getting his onto his head!
Ian's big gift ... a pBone. What's that? It's a plastic trombone made from PVC pipe and has a graphite slide. And, in case anyone is interested further, he has already mastered his first scale with it! I'm impressed!
Ooh, goody! The turkey is done! It fell off the bones and was SO juicy. Always have a dry bird? Try the greased paper bag method. You'll never go back to cooking it any other way!
Because Daryn was incapacitated, Ian became carver this year. Had to give him helpful tips, but he didn't do a bad job. He may be hired for next Thanksgiving. We shall see!
Evyn smashed up the taters and made some amazing mashed potatoes.
Kitchen crew hard at work getting the fixings ready for the table.
Let's eat!
Merry Christmas!!!
Merry Christmas!!!
