This year was special because Christmas was on a Sunday. We wrapped the family room so the kids couldn't see the tree before church. Here they are waiting at the top of the stairs to be called down, as tradition dictates. The difference this year is that they have been up for a little while getting all dressed in Sunday clothes. We had church at 9 and David went early to get the sacrament ready.
Stockings on the dining room table instead of in front of the tree so the kids could have a little bit of Christmas morning before church.
Is this the saddest sight? Michael's lone stocking.
Breakfast of the usual...little cereal boxes from our stockings. The sweet rolls and breakfast casserole will be ready after church! We had the most wonderful sacrament meeting. Everyone was so happy and there was a lot of wishing neighbors a merry Christmas and greeting each other. We had so many people at church they had to refill the water trays and bless the water again. Our choir director is amazing and we had a great program. The primary children started with 2 songs. One I had never heard before and two of the teachers sang parts at the microphone. It was beautiful and of course started the meeting off with wet eyes, the spirit was so strong. Next, Katie and I went up and joined the choir. We had such wonderful music, interspersed with short narration and singing from the congregation. It was just the right mix of everything. What a great way to begin the day? I wish each year could be that way, really. It was amazing.
Back at home, everyone changed back into pajamas. That's another tradition. We stay in them all day long and then get right back in bed in them at the end of the day. We love to be in jammies.
This year all three girls got matching pj's. It's amazing how hard it is to get a straight picture with these two.
Well, close enough.
It was fun to open the gifts that Michael had sent from Romania. David got a real Romanian soccer player's jersey, worn in an actual game. David was over the moon excited. He pretty much loves that shirt more than anything else he has ever owned.
Caroline got a music CD from a Romanian artist and these traditionally dressed dolls. They are awesome and the music is pretty good actually!
Katie got a lefty pen and a Romanian fairy tale book. Here she is reading in her not-so-fluent tongue. She spent a good part of the day with google translate figuring out what the story says.
An unexpected gift from my Uncle Bill in Alaska for the kids was a special treat. He and my Aunt Jani came to visit us in October and it was wonderful. A couple of years ago when I was in Alaska visiting I told them the story about Caroline and her coonskin hat. They really loved it because my uncle does a lot of hunting and then his own taxidermy. He was tickled that the kids got so into the mountain man rendezvous and making things like that. He sent each of them a knife with elk handles and a leather holder, some of which he made himself, along with feathers and leather all swapped up in sinew for future projects. That was so thoughtful and really fun for these kids to have such a relationship with a great uncle.
We had a wonderful day and thought of Michael a lot. He reported a good Christmas in Romania the next day when we got to skype with him. That was the best present any of us got this year.
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