Christmas

This was a really nice year for holidays. We switched up tradition, my cousin Becky and I had been celebrating Christmas Eve together for the past fourteen years, first with an Open House at our apartment that we shared for eight years, and then at her house after that. This year, we decided to get a group together and go out for chinese food. And it was wonderful, we'll definitely do that again next year. Sam fell asleep on the way home, and Jess was still rocking and rolling when we got home. She and Marc wrote out her note to Santa (asking for a Zsu Zhu (??) pet at the last minute and "the one, the only, the beautiful and exquisite Rebecca Rubin) and left him cupcakes, candy canes, a glass of milk and of course, eight carrots for the reindeer.

She woke up bright and early, and was so excited. Marc wanted to wait until Sam woke up, but I wasn't going to wake him early (without napping, this kid needs all the sleep he can get), so he and I watched Jess open her gifts (she got Rebecca Rubin and a new bedding set) first. She was beyond thrilled, it was wonderful... I took a whole bunch of pictures of her. When Sam woke up, he was grumpy. Slightly mollified by the presents, but still screamed in horror when I tried to take pictures of him. (When he's thirty and thinks that I loved Jessie best because there are thousands of pictures of her smiling and only a few of him - I'm going to remind him of how many times he'd snarl "NO PICTURES" at me). We got Sam a big dragon castle thing, with guys to go with it. He's in heaven...

We spent the morning at home, and headed down to my mother's house around noontime. Jessie immediately disappeared with my niece Bella (who also got an American Girl doll), and poor Sam and I came into the living room. I say poor Sam because he just really doesn't like attention - and my grandfather and his wife were in the living room, along with my mother. They were all cooing over him (because he's cute and little and that's what you do with cute little kids) and trying to convince him to open his gift. He refused for the longest time, and then finally opened it. It was a Toy Story thing, some sort of house thing that you could open with figurines. He wouldn't let me open the box though, kept saying he just wanted to "wook" at it. Everyone kept trying to convince him to open the box, and he just got more and more upset. Eventually, he slid over to me and said very softly "Mommy, I wish nobody was here." I asked if he wanted to take it in the kitchen and open his gift where nobody could see him, and he nodded happily. He played in there for a while and was much better.

We stayed for the rest of the day, my sister came over, my cousin Beck and her husband and mother, an uncle, some more cousins, my brother and his wife and kids... it was nice. And the longer we were there, the more relaxed and happy Sam got. We just have to go to a party and plan on staying for several hours before Sam will stop snarling at people.

My grandfather was admitted to the hospital Christmas night. He's got an infection and they kept him overnight again last night. I'm hoping that he'll get released today...

We're having some quiet time this weekend, the weather is lousy, cold, icy and rainy. The kids have been busy playing with their new toys - I'm glad they didn't overloaded with gifts this year, because the things they got, they really are enjoying. I'm ill amused with Rebecca Rubin's hair - especially because Jess adores taking the brush that came with her and just ripping thru it. I've done my best to teach her to go slowly, and try not to brush it all that often - but she's still six, and it's just WAY too much fun to brush her hair. There's not a doubt in my mind that this doll is going to need a new head before too long, do they do that?