Christmas Favorites

After the thrill of christmas morning passes, the bulk of the rest of the day is spent enjoying the gifts.  As I already posted, Spenser began immediately bonding with his new laptop.  Since then, he's spent some late nights playing on-line video games with his godfather, my brother Ken, and they can even talk to each other vocally through their laptops.  Ain't technology grand? 

As for Sienna, she went right to her new Just Dance game for the Wii.  Not only is it a fun game to play, it also is quite a workout!  Here she is with Spenser dancing to Wham's big hit, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go"

Another favorite of Sienna's was the Harry Potter Legos.  She already had two sets built that we bought when they first came out,  Hagrid's Hut and Freeing Dobby.  Now thanks to Grandma and Grandpa,  she can add Hogwart's Castle, the Hogwart's Express, and the Burrow to her collection.  

She's already begun building them and I'll post pictures of the final product. 

As for Rob, he got normal type of gifts like a tie, new belts, and some cd's.  Perhaps his favorite was a bottle of Belvedere, a fine vodka that he loves to combine with Ruby Red for a drink Pat calls a 'Stoli Greyhound.'  I guess in Rob's case it's a 'Belvedere Greyhound.'  That was one of my gifts to him this year, in lieu of the Patron pack he usually gets this time of year.  Unfortunately, Costco wasn't selling them.  

As for Mony, she received cd's, dvd's, and gift cards.  Perhaps her favorite gift was one she received before christmas and according to Rob, doesn't count as a christmas gift.  But I'll just call it an early christmas gift , because that's what it was.  Rob won a Kindle in a raffle at a conference LAST JULY and it sat unopened and lonely on his desk for months.  Sure I let him know that I would gladly take it off his hands and put it to good use but Rob stuck to his guns (guns being EXTREME ethical code).  He was planning on donating it to the state charity fund as he didn't want his accepting it to be misconstrued as a 'gift.'  But hey, he won it fair and square and that's what everyone in his office told him.  So they convinced him that his wife should have the Kindle and OMG, he brought it home to me.  Here it is in all its magnificence!

  The Kindle is fantastic.  Sure I love the appeal of real books, and certainly already own my favorites (Twilight Saga, Harry Potter 1-7).  But instead of lugging a book around with you, the Kindle allows you to carry a whole library!  It's compact, light, fits in your purse, and is easy to read and use.  It also has global wireless, so you don't need internet to buy books.  You can buy them directly from the device with the push of one button, and it appears in seconds.  You can also sample books for free, and there are many free books available too.  The Kindle came with an Amazon gift card, so I was able to buy some books right away for free!  I purchased Unbroken, a WWII survival story currently on the NY Times Bestseller List.  I also purchased Russell Brand's autobiography, My Booky Wook.  (I'm a sucker for Englishmen).  Both books are great!  So yeah, I guess I like the Kindle a little bit.   

This Christmas was Kindle-tastic!

The Reason for the Season

Our Christmas eve started with food preparation, (sans Mom), as Rob again led the troops in the kitchen for a meal selected by Spenser, ever the food critic.  Spenser recently made a list of the foods he would prefer to eat at dinner, since Mom's selections are so mundane.  Highlights on his list were salmon, caesar salad, alfredo, homemade pizza, turkey, and lasagna.  So the decision was made to make lasagna as the Christmas eve meal.  Here's what that looked like..

Sienna and Spenser each made their own tray.  Once the preparation was complete, it was time to get ready for church.  We decided on attending Christmas Eve mass this year, so that Christmas day could be reserved for 'play' - according to Spenser.  Finding a seat at church on Christmas eve is quite an undertaking and involves arriving early and waiting.....and waiting........but really, is that much of a sacrifice or hardship when you think of what and who you're celebrating in the first place?  I think not.  So we go to church, even though it's probably easier not to, because it's Jesus's birthday, and we want the kids to know how important that is.  I also liked Father John's sermon that reminded us that while we all get gifts on Jesus's birthday, what gifts do we have for him?  Father John's answer was that we should keep him in our sights,  and remember his presence and influence in our lives.  So while Spenser fidgeted through mass, I knew it was worth it because he was reminded of the true reason for the season.   Here we are after mass....

and Miss Sienna Rose

and Mr. Spenser Allan

After the twilight photo shoot it was time for dinner, and kudos to the chefs, it was yummy!  Before heading to bed, we all opened one gift, checked Santa's progress on NORAD, and waited for morning to come.  Thankfully the kids let us sleep until 7:30 a.m., then it was time for the gift unveiling to commence.  Our family and Santa were very generous as usual.  It sure does pay to stay off the naughty list!  Here is Buddy with one of his favorites - 

A    L  A  P  T  O  P ! (Just what every 10 year old boy needs?!)

And here is the entire family on Christmas morning, after the opening of the gifts.  Thank you all for another happy holiday!

 



Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Elf Style

Did you know that in a few short days, Santa Claus is coming to town?  Well I hope that you have been good this year because you do NOT want to be on the naughty list.  In Buddy the Elf's world, this is the ultimate sin.  So I hope you're getting pumped for this joyous occasion, although I don't recommend quite the level of Buddy's excitement.  That may result in the onset of a heart attack, and you don't want to spend Christmas in the ER.

If you haven't yet, indulge your inner child and watch Elf.  If Buddy can't get you into the christmas spirit, then bah - humbug, no one can.