Christmas Is Still In Motion Here!

Hi!  I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  Ours is on intermission at the moment.  Christmas with the 3 youngest kids is a done deal and was very nice.  Our oldest daughter celebrated her first Christmas as an old married woman in California with her in-laws. 
Our eldest, is on the road currently and should be in early next week to celebrate Christmas Part Deux with us, his little guy, his wife and stepdaughter.  He called our Grandson Christmas Eve and was met with a little boys concerns, "Daddy?  How will Santa bring you Christmas presents in your truck?  You don't have a fireplace!"  He did his best to reassure a 4 year olds concerns and remind him that Santa is about Magic and Believing.  Hopefully Daddy will be off the road one day soon and able to spend more time with his boy, in the meantime, Papa, Gramma & Auntie do their best to keep him in touch with this side of his family.
Papa thought it would be okay to hang breakable ornaments lower on the tree this year, especially since this shortest tree ever would be elevated...surely no small hands would disturb them...

 

Maecee has loved bouncing around in the snow...

while Shooter has preferred cuddling on the electric throw...

typically dachshund...he usually is burrowed under the blanket

 

Apparently Santa decided that we've been very naughty this year...

he (very unexpectedly) paid us an early visit Sunday night and left us two little lumps of coal...

We refer to them collectively as Tn'T

or as "The Little Black Otters!"

Tank & Tess

Almost 4 month old littermates who needed a quick re-homing.

(Doxie puppies aren't a sturdy choice for 4 busy little boys ages 2 to 8)

This is them pretending to be sweet and innocent...Shooter and Maecee will inform you otherwise!

 

I've had my hands and arms and slightly busy betwixt caring for a 4 year old some days and two 4 month olds each day immediately leading up to Christmas, but my heart is full too. 

And Yes it's December 26th and No, I still haven't wrapped all the gifts!

I did spend Christmas Eve sitting at the table helping my daughter wrap gifts for her friends boys though.  Her friend is a single Mom, with 3 year old twins, so she needed a helping hand and it was fun digging out the Santa paper and labels & metallic pens to make sure that the gifts from Santa were dressed appropriately!  My daughter now has a new appreciation for the lengths I went to make Christmas packages special for the five of them.  Not everything that appeared under our tree from Santa was always wrapped or labeled though.  Certain magical things like stuffed Reindeer, Moose, Holstein Cows & a variety of cuddly Pigs, or glittery snowglobes were thoughtfully arranged atop wrapped gifts or in the limbs of the tree and always found their way into the arms of the child Santa intended them for.

 



 Well, I'd probably better get back after this belated Santa thing I've got going on and see if I can keep the folks at the Post Office from being too bored in their after Christmas slump! 

On Dasher! On Dancer! On Maecee & Shooter! 
                                 On shiny black-as-coal puppies who couldn't be cuter!

~Nancie Anne