This Was Christmas- 2011

I think I'm still within the window for posting this since it's still the holiday weekend, right?! Our tree will be up another week anyway because the Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on January 7, and when in Rome...

I didn't decorate too much this year. Between being tired of the colors of the decorations we have and beginning to feel that itch to move, I stayed pretty simple.

Christmas morning-

the best we could do before heading out the door for church at 8:30 a.m.!

We had time to open stockings after breakfast.

I picked this up in Venice for

Big Girl and her American Girl doll.

Remember when I made these?

Mr. YH and I always joke about getting old.

He can never remember if he has taken his vitamins or not,

so I got him a daily pill box as a joke.

He knew I had wanted a slotted spoon. I accidentally found the one on the right in an Amazon box and then proceeded to make a joke about needing to get up to $25 for free shipping. He told me later that he wanted to get me the spoon I wanted and it wasn't for free shipping {profuse apologies for my awful gaffe} and we could order the one I really wanted to match our flatware (he forgot that detail).

Big Girl wanted a camera. I was running into problems with batteries because we can't ship certain ones through the pouch over here. Mr. YH had a little point and shoot he had picked up to take to the desert several years ago. I suggested we just clean off the card and give it to her. He was a little opposed at first because it was used, but she had no idea we even had it, so that's what we did. I ordered a pink camera case, and as you can see, she was thrilled!

We had a lot of this going on...

Turns out Baby Girl's favorite toy of the day was the cheap little wind-up duck

Sveta gave her. I could have gotten off for as little as about 35 cents!

The Boy has been telling us for months that he wants to buy a light saber when we go back to America (he has never seen Star Wars and won't for a while). We decided to get one and when I checked reviews, I realized that one would not do...Daddy needed one, too, or this would just not be as fun!

Baby Girl has been playing with her brother's castle since last Christmas. Amazon had a sale on the pink castle furniture and people this summer, so I bought it so she could use it in her big dollhouse bookcase.

He was so happy.

The kids were so precious to listen to and watch leading up to Christmas. They sat in the kitchen planning and crafting gifts for one another and us. They even made little stocking stuffers like coloring books for each other. This was Big Girl's gift to her daddy- a painting of his plane, the C-130 Mighty Hercules.

I believe my exact words were, "Rue the day anyone sends us more construction paper!" These sweet friends weren't given that memo.

My brother and his wife sent mac 'n cheese and hot chocolate.

High commodities around here!

Hope yours was a blessed holiday celebrating our Lord's birth

and spending time with family and friends!