…more Christmas!

Okay, a three-year-old clapping for Jesus’ birthday song leads off this post because…she’s so ridiculously cute.  We have a tradition of doing a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas day.  This one was made by Hannah, who is getting to be quite the baker.  It was a big hit. 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. 

Much, much earlier in the day…

Our Christmas day traditions dictate that the kids can get up at their usual time (so, not out of bed before 6 a.m.) and open their stockings to their hearts’ content.  BUT they may not awaken their parents.  Unfortunately, nobody thought to tell Simeon to let Tess sleep, so he “helpfully” woke her up…

Once Mom FINALLY woke up, we started in on the present opening.  The three oldest are old enough that they’re involved in choosing gifts to give their siblings (Hannah made gifts for each of her siblings), and it was really sweet to see them get all excited about giving the gifts they’d created or chosen. 

Hannah made this bunny for Tess.  Tess loved it! 

Naomi gave Tess one of her dolls (that Tess has coveted for a long time) and she’d made it a couple of different outfits.  Tess also loved this gift. 

Tess got several outfits, all of which got tried on.  Some on top of each other.  Here she and St. Rose of Lima sport their matching aprons. 

Felix, predictably, loved chewing on his gifts.  

It’s not that he didn’t like this shirt…it’s that someone took away the thing he was chewing.  I think this shirt is adorable!

Tess dubbed this her flamingo outfit.  She also got a zebra outfit.  It was a very zoo animal day, I guess. 

Felix’s favorite part of the day was when he was set free to pursue chewing on wrapping and bags as he saw fit.

Soon after the gifts were opened, Legos needed to be built.

Books needed to be read.

More books needed to be read.

Three outfits needed to be worn at once (see the red sweatshirt’s hood under the flamingo fleece?) and accessories needed to be played with.  Tess is very much in a phase of putting things into bags or (in this case) lunch boxes and carrying them around.  She was thrilled to get multiple carrying things for Christmas!

After lunch we all had naps and quiet time, then headed off to the in-town relatives’ house for dinner and playing with new toys.  And clapping for Jesus’ birthday cake (see photo at the start of this post).