A look back at Christmas

I didn't mean to let so much time go before writing a blog post, but I was dealing with a house full of sick people following our trip to NY for Christmas.  We drove to NY on Christmas Day and came back on the 31st, after visiting Mariah and her family in NJ for a night on the 30th.  Unfortunately, while at Mariah's, Brennan started running a 103 degree fever and threw up overnight.  Brian wasn't doing much better and drove back to VA with the chills.  Brennan and Brian were pretty much laid up all week with bronchitis/pneumonia type illness.  They both were prescribed the z-pack.  Thankfully, Tyler and I escaped the worst of it.  However, with everyone down, I was left alone to unpack, clean/organize and take down decorations.  Although we have recovered from the round of illness, I feel like I haven't quite gotten back into a regular routine yet.  Here are some of the highlights from Christmas.  The morning started around 7 and the boys were so excited to see the gifts under the tree.

Brennan's reactions to his gifts were great this year.  He kept saying, "oh-yea!" Even for the less exciting gifts, like the chia-pet (something he had asked for.)  He told me it was the best Christmas ever.  I was happy to hear it!  The boys both got 31 inch figurines of Spiderman and Darth Vader.

Tyler carried Spiderman with him everywhere he went and slept with it during our entire trip to NY.

In NY, Zelda got a few gifts, including some reindeer antlers.  She didn't seem thrilled, but tolerated them!  Overall, Zelda did quite well with the trip.  We took two cars.  I drove the kids and Zelda, while Brian had all the gifts.  At my mom's, Zelda had her own space to get away from everyone if she needed it, but she actually got comfortable pretty quickly.  She and Debby's dog, Andie, really played well together well.  My Dad and Debby spoiled Zelda all week with lots of attention and long walks.  Now that we are back in VA, I feel like Zelda is like, "why won't any humans here let me lick their face."  And, we are walking 3 miles a day now.  Zelda is down to 96 pounds (maybe 95) and we have curbed her weight loss diet, since we are starting to see ribs.

Brian got footie pajamas as a gag gift, but he was quite comfortable in them and I found him napping in them later that morning!

Tyler was testing out the dog antlers.  I forgot to bring my camera with me to my in-laws later that day, so I'm sorry these photos are a little one-sided.

Here are a few collages showing the elf antics that went on in our house this year.  Ogre had quite a bit of fun and both boys really enjoyed looking for Ogre every morning. 

Last, but not least, I wanted to share one photo from the Christmas Eve service.  The pageant went very well and the costumes were adorable!