Christmas catch-up

It has been a busy, busy Christmas season, let me tell you . . . so busy that I haven't had a chance to update our family journal. Here are some of the photo highlights:

Here's the whole family visiting Santa at Lark Toys (in Wabasha, MN)
after much pleading from our youngest daughter, who once again...

...sensibly refused to get anywhere near the big guy in a red suit. I nearly knocked over
the set getting her this far. (After weeks of begging, I didn't want to hear, "But NOW I'll
be brave!" on our way out of the parking lot.) 

Here's the little munchkin trying on a Santa hat in the
store.

Bear, who is in on the Santa secret, was more than
forthcoming about his wish list, his opinions on his
favorite toys, the state of the polar ice cap, fun facts
about reindeer....

Thankfully, he's not too old for the hand-carved
carousel.

The Catholic Worker house has a humongous real Christmas tree.
We visited on Christmas morning, too, for brunch, with a smaller crowd.

An annual school ritual is the "Holiday bazaar."
Each upper elementary student creates a product and a
business plan and sells it during the holiday breakfast
(for which we all get up at the cheerily dark hour of 6 a.m.).
Bear sold colored "funny putty" this year. (Do you know
how hard it is to find liquid starch anymore???)

Another annual tradition is decorating our Christmas tree. This is Mudpuppy's
first year really participating in that event.

(Every one of the three preceeding pictures was shamelessly posed. Sorry,
but I'm not THAT good of a photographer!)

Visiting friends and family is the best part of the season!
Here is Jaybird dressing up with a playmate from church.

And here she is with one of her Twin Cities cousins.

Christmas morning.

Mouse with her beloved Kaya doll.

On our visit to my mom's, we took a walk around Centennial Lakes, which
has an ice rink. The kids went skating; all of them have improved since
last winter. 

Christmas leaves me exhausted, too, kid. (The girls have been sleeping
on the living room couches as one of the "privileges" they're earning
on their new point system.) Sweet dreams!