Christmas Time is Here!

We kicked off the boys' break from school with a bang and celebrated Christmas with my dad's side of the family this weekend. My great-aunt continued on her decades-long tradition of dressing as Santa Claus and giving gifts to the kids. We all love it!

Josiah bravely went in for a hug, but Caleb is the one who has been the most excited. Someone dressed as Santa to visit the kindergarteners at school and Caleb told his friend that the guy at school was not the real Santa because he had the wrong boots - not like the real one he knows from our family festivities.

 We sang carols. This is Grandmother and me singing alto. I need to hang out with her and get some more practice. Fun times!

We did a hand-made gift exchange and Chris made some sort of stringed-instrument out of an old mineral spirits can - with a built-in amp. It was a hit!  I just asked him what he would call tat instrument. He said, "Sweet."

I made this - a copy of a gift I received a couple years back. It enjoyed it. 

Here we are singing along to a duet by a real guitar and Chris's 'sweet' invention. 

Here are Caleb and I enjoying ourselves. 

The time passed all too quickly, and the next thing we knew, all the kin-folk were gone and everyone else was napping, so the boys and I went for a little after-church running/playing adventure. They are just at the perfect level to be my running companions. One is a teeny bit slower and one a teeny bit speedier than me. 

And in case you forgot what this girl looked like, here is Eleonora modeling her Christmas buns.