Merry Christmas morning!

 This year, we didn't have any plans to be anywhere on Christmas Day, and it was wonderful! We spent the day in our pajamas, opened presents and stockings, had a delicious breakfast of bacon and caramel rolls, and just played all day long. We really enjoyed the day!

Amelia was particularly excited about the TicTacs in her stocking!

And her favorite present of the day was her Dora umbrella:

Mira got a few of the Friends Legos kits and spent the day putting her village together:

Chris got a book on how to win craps so he can win big the next time he goes to Vegas, and then Michelle can retire:

And Michelle received a night out at the Grand Hotel (which we used on Dec. 27). Chris and I went to Ichiban downtown Minneapolis for dinner, then spent the night at the hotel. It was so fun!

Mira and Amelia received blankets, pajamas, and hats for Christmas. They should be warm and cozy for the rest of the year!

Christmas Eve at Grandpa Randy's and Grandma Terrie's

We spent Christmas Eve at Chris's dad's house. It was a nice evening with a dice game, the kids finding a pickle in the tree, and way too many presents!

Amelia needed a rest after all the fun!

The entire group:

 Cole entertained us with a couple of Christmas songs on the clarinet:

Mira read us The Story of Christmas:

The kids all looked for the pickle on the tree:

Chris, Randy, and Matt:

The girls all received new pajamas!

Mira, Grandpa Randy, and Amelia:

Christmas at Mom and Dad's house

Ahh, Christmas at Mom and Dad's house. See how wonderful they are??? Mom and Dad had a special Christmas greeting for everyone! We told all the kids that the "N" fell off the end of Dad's word.

Mira and Amelia in front of the tree:

Kelly sang her guts out in karoake!

Most of the grandchildren, waiting "quietly" for Santa:

Amelia is telling Santa all about school:

Mira and Santa!

All 9 grandkids and Santa:

Mira scored a lot of leopard prints this year (her favorite!). Her doll scored some too!

Dad got a new record player, a snuggie, and a BB gun!

All the kids went sledding after opening presents. It was a wonderful day!

Amelia's Christmas concert

Amelia's class also put on a Christmas concert for the parents. They sang the cutest songs, complete with actions! Amelia was really proud of all the songs she learned. One was about a Christmas tree that wasn't pretty and all the shoppers passed him by, except for a little boy who only had a dime and bought the tree. How happy the tree was! Sweet song.

Mira's Christmas concert

The third graders at Mira's school put on a Christmas concert for the parents. It was so sweet! It was called "Toys Galore" and Mira had the part of a train car. She decorated her train with Christmas paper and wore a Santa hat. They all sang us songs as classes too. We loved it!

December 2012 vacation :: Cruise, part 2

The girls enjoyed the pool, even though it was salt water. I didn't care for that part! Here they are, watching a belly flop contest!

On our last night on the cruise, the kids' club invited families to make a poster of their time on the ship. Here is what we created:

Our darling girls at the ship's Christmas tree:

 Our last dinner on the cruise:

Family portrait!

On the last day of the cruise. all the kids who participated in kids' club sang a pirate song for the parents. It was so cute! They painted the kids' faces and gave them a bandana to wear. We loved the effort they put into it! The girls had a lot of fun at the kids club every day.

December 2012 vacation :: Cruise

We took a Royal Caribbean cruise for the second part of our trip. It was a 5-day, 4 night cruise to the Bahamas. We really enjoyed ourselves!

Here are Mira and Amelia at sunset the first night.

A family portrait on board:

We stopped in Nassau, Bahamas on the third day and enjoyed a few hours off the boat.

The girls took a little dip in the ocean:

We bought them each a couple of braids from a local woman. They kept those braids in for a couple of weeks after the trip. Both Mira and Amelia loved getting those braids!

Mira met a boy named Andrew from North Carolina. They became fast friends and talk on the phone all the time now. He is in 4th grade and 9 years old. For comparison, Mira is 8 and in 3rd grade!

Mira climbed the rock wall on the ship three times! She really loved that adventure. You couldn't have gotten me to try it!

Here is Mira ringing the bell:

Success!