Bean Bags, Legos and treats Oh My!

Merry Christmas 2009! Christmas this year was eventful and restful and exciting and emotional. Here are the highlights: The festivities started with Christmas Eve at Nanny's House - an honored tradition with all the Idaho cousins ever since I was young, although my family rarely participated since we were usually in Maui. But it involves a huge feast (a spread only my Idaho aunts and cousins could produce, name cards and all!), a talent show, and a rowdy but adorable nativity reenactment by all the great-grandkids. Nanny is amazing - 91 (?) years old and still pulling together a bash like this. She is the GREATEST!

Then we went home and the kids donned their Christmas Eve jammies (thanks Nana!) and went to bed all together on the downstairs sofa, which they only get to do on special occasions. They were cherubs and let us sleep in until 8 AM, but then Maggie went upstairs (per my instructions) to peek and came down shouting "there's a thousand presents up there!" After that there was no controlling the stampede, so the kids (politely but enthusiastically) attacked the numerous presents around the tree. Their favorites were the bean bags from Nana and Papa, Spencer's pirate ship, and the Lipizzaner horses from mom.


I gave everyone a Willow Tree figure representing my love for each family member. Cheesy, I know, but I like the idea of a physical representation of my love that they can each look at, hold, and remember me by. I'm such a softie.

Then we had a breakfast of pumpkin pancakes, an afternoon of toys and movies, and Noel pedicures from Mom. Our toesies were in desperate need of glittery shellac, but I had to draw the line when Spencer picked out a nice rosy red for his!

Dinner was fun and fairly easy on me: barbecued ribs, mashed potatoes, Magleby's rolls, fruit kabobs, and hula pie for dessert. We stayed in our pajamas all day, and I didn't worry about the mess or nag anyone ONCE to clean it up. It was GREAT!