Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We have had a good holiday season this year, other than germs and colds going around our family. Perhaps because of spending so much time sick, we're finally getting around to posting about Christmas after the new year has come.

We started our Christmas season by going down to the DC LDS Temple for their lights and to enjoy a concert. Here are Tanja, Derek, and Karina by one of the Christmas trees at the visitor center.

Then Santa came to visit our neighborhood escorted by fire trucks from our local fire station. Since Derek was already asleep, I brought the girls to see Santa and to run around with all the other excited kids in the neighborhood. Karina kept asking if she had to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas. I told her the only thing she had to do was to smile for a picture. I think she succeeded, and ultimately she decided she didn't want to tell Santa what she wanted. Lydia did though; she told him she wanted a candy cane (probably thinking he would give her one right then, which he didn't). When we got home, she was looking all over for her candy cane that Santa had somehow brought her during the five minute walk back. She was cute, and somehow we managed to convince her that Santa didn't bring her a candy cane yet.

Karina took a picture of Lydia and me next to the fire engine.

Then it was time for Christmas presents a few days later. The kids got to open two presents each on Christmas Eve. The next morning, they were so interested in some of their gifts that they wanted to play with them immediately. The same thing happened the following day (and the two after that). I think it's fun when opening gifts stretches across several days. All told, we didn't finish opening presents until Wednesday the 28th. Five days of presents (if you count the ones on Christmas Eve)! No wonder their smiles were so big.

Lydia really liked her police costume. She had fun telling us that we didn't obey the rules and then writing us a ticket or putting us in handcuffs and arresting us.

Derek wasn't quite sure what to make of opening presents. I think his favorite part was the wrapping paper that he could tear up into even smaller pieces so he could put it in his mouth.

But I think he (and Lydia) really like this ride-on noisemaker of a toy.

"Here I go guys!"

Lydia is a big fan of Doc McStuffins and this nightgown was a hit.

Of course, older toys are fun too. The girls have rediscovered their letter mat blocks, and spent a few afternoons making shapes and structures with them.

I had noticed that we haven't really gotten Derek dressed up in more formal clothes for church. With the girls, it was always a big deal to get them dolled up as infants and toddlers in cute little dresses, bows, etc. but with Derek, we would just put him into an everyday onesie (or now that it is colder, toss a nice sweater over his onesie) when it was time to go to church. I figure that is because boy church clothes just aren't as interesting as girl dresses. That being said, Derek got a few fancy church outfits for Christmas, and we dressed him up for church last Sunday in one of them. He was a very handsome boy and we had to take pictures!  Tanja kept calling him her Spring Chicken.