Christmas Morning

I guess it technically was morning when we first heard our children making their way down the hall, but for all intents and purposes, it was the middle of the night--3:30 AM. Lyle did his very best Papa Bear impersonation and bellowed "What in the world are you doing?" None of them made it downstairs (as far as we know) and they all moped back to their bedrooms.

We heard them stirring again at the more reasonable time of 7:30. They all ran downstairs and then were back upstairs five minutes later to jump onto our bed and tell us what Santa brought. Rose said she got every single thing she wanted--a rarity in life. Cholita was thrilled with her trunk of dress up clothes, Lucy oohed and ahhed over her new camera, and Bruder gushed (as much as a fifteen-year-old boy is capable of gushing) over his new digital recording equipment.

Lyle made our traditional Christmas breakfast--scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon, hot grapefruit with brown sugar and a marichino cherry, and cinnamon rolls.

Cholita had already changed into one of her lovely gowns because she feels it's important to dress for breakfast.

Old Fatty came for a Christmas visit and we gave him a present--a rawhide bone. He took it and sprinted off down the driveway as fast as his old fat legs could carry him. Not even so much as a thank you. We still have no idea where he lives.

After breakfast we moved onto the presents. Rose has been itching for me to open her present ever since she placed it under the Christmas tree. Inside the box was a necklace that Lyle told me she bought at a garage sale during the summer and has kept hidden in various locations ever since. I'm so impressed with her patience.....and her sweetness.

Bruder always makes his presents. Two years ago it was a guitar for his sisters, last year it was a rubber band machine gun, and this year it was a go cart made from our neighbor's discarded trailer.

He added the seat, the front wheels, the shocks, and the steering mechanism.

He said he ran out of time to build brakes, which made me slightly nervous as he pushed his sisters down hills of varying steepness.

But they loved it. Absolutely loved it.

Rose came in flushed with the cold and excitement. "Bruder's present is awesome!"

They wore helmets on the big hills.

At least that's what they told me.

It was a great Christmas.