christmas

we had a great christmas this year. this was the first christmas we've had at our home with just our little family. now that the kids are getting older christmas is getting to be a lot more fun. i tried to keep gifts simple this year. ethan and i gave each kid two presents and each kid also got one gift from all their siblings. i'd always done more than that in the past but i've realized that my kids play with their toys more often and appreciate them more if they have fewer toys. plus there's the added bonus of having fewer things to pick up.

maria's two gifts: mulan dolls and cinderella dolls. i knew she was going to be excited about these. she actually screamed when she opened the cinderella box.

with lincoln growing so many teeth (four already with more trying to burst out) we figured he needed a hefty chew toy. i love it because it's all natural - made from hard wood and finished with organic olive oil and beeswax. i also love that it is a silent toy. so hard to find these days, every thing crinkles or rattles or squeaks. i need more quiet in my life.

here is some of the felt food i made for libby. i am not a sewer and the night before christmas i was wondering why in the world i decided to do this. most of it turned out okay, tho, and i think she likes playing with it . . . well, she likes making a mess with it at least. ethan and i also gave her the pots and pan.

libby wearing the pretty dress her aunt elise gave her. she loves to be pretty. i need to get a picture of the pretty dress her grandma and grandpa nuttall gave her. she wore it to church and she loves it.

yea, playing with her new toys! she opened the pots and pan box first. all the felt food was in one box and when she opened it she let out a little squeal then grabbed as much as she could and shoved it into a pot.

lincoln's at that age where he enjoys the wrapping more than the actual toys.

the kids are showing what they got from their siblings. hudson got a sword. maria got a stamp set. libby got a microphone that creates a kind of echo so it sounds like a real microphone.

libby goin' at it.

trying to figure out what to do.

christmas morning - a typical family portrait. libby is crying because hudson was so excited he almost pushed her down the stairs and i don't remember why maria is mad.

my mom made scrubs for hudson and gave him a doctor's kit. he examined me then said quite professionally, "mom, your heart is gone."

my parents also gave him a tool set. he's been "fixing" all sorts of things around the house.

THE sword. he loves this thing. he's had his eye on this ever since we went to the american west heritage center this last spring. his favorite thing to say is, "my mom said i can't have a sword and i got one!"

ethan and i gave hudson a catapult and castle blocks. you can sort of see the blocks behind him on the right.

hudson md. he's got great bed-side manner.