Christmas and Lucinda

We had such a nice Christmas. I always enjoy being home with my kids and they are always so well-behaved and sweet on Christmas day. We spent Christmas Eve with friends where we had Mexican food, reenacted the Nativity, and then sang the Messiah with laughter (at our ineptitude) and tears (at the beauty of the sentiments -- "Surely He hath borne our griefs" is so lovely). Then Santa came and -- oh, wait -- he didn't leave anything. The thing I ordered weeks ago hadn't come and when I finally got a hold of them a couple of days later, they said they weren't going to have it anytime soon. Were they going to tell me? I guess not. So finally on Monday morning I went out and bought the main Christmas present which was ----- Rock Band. Pros: the kids have been playing all together in one room happily for hours at a time; baby sits on his knees and bounces along to the beat. Cons: Lucy singing "Livin' on a Prayer" at dinner last night.

Lulu has been growing out her hair for years so that she could donate it to locks of love. Her hair grows slowly, but finally we took her in on Friday and her ponytail was 10 1/2 inches long! It would have been great to get a picture at the hair salon, but since my camera is apparently glued to the kitchen counter, I had to bring the hair home and then take it back later. She is also excited about her dangly earrings she got for Christmas. She got her ears pierced a couple of months ago and it was quite dramatic, as things in her life tend to be. She really wanted them pierced, I even had her wait a few weeks to be sure, she told everyone at school and church that she was doing it on a certain day, and then we get there and she starts screaming. I was kind of holding her down and telling them to just go ahead, but she was trying to get off the chair, and moving her head. The place where we were doing this is at the mall and they do it in a little window so the passerby can watch. As I am pinning her arms in place and trying to hold her head still I am sure that everyone walking by was thinking, "Why is that lady making her daughter get her ears pierced when she obviously doesn't want them pierced?" I don't really know. It didn't matter to me one way or another, but I knew she would regret it later if she had to go face everyone and nothing had happened. Finally it was over, but they made her sit in the chair for a while since she had been hyperventilating. I asked her if I did the right thing making her go ahead or should I have let her back out? She said she was so glad that I had not listened to her pleas to not do it. Then she laughed and said "Oh, that wasn't so bad." It wasn't??! Maybe for one of us.


"Lucy-locks" and Ibby got a trim, too.











Hats from Grandma Carolynn -- everyone has been wearing them for days! Baby found a candy cane and looks pretty pleased with himself! Not to mention all the cords and garland in this picture -- it is like an ad for how NOT to care for a baby. I think there is some broken glass and poisonous cleaning supplies right behind him.