Aftermath

Sorry not to have posted for a few days - my sister and her family are here, as is my mother. So there are 11 of us, including three under 3, so "glorious chaos" would be an apt description. 2 1/2 yr-old twin boys, and a 7 mo. baby girl.

Christmas Eve we went to the Children's Paegant at our church. We call it the "Instant Nativity", because any child who wishes (and arrives a little early) can have a costume and take part. Mary and Joseph are pre-assigned for fairness, but pretty much everything else, the wise men, Gabriel, angels, shepherds, sheep, is up for grabs. You have to use your imagination somewhat with some of the costumes, but it can be a lot of fun. Rachel was Mary this year, so my sister agreed that her baby, Josephine, could play the baby Jesus. Jo was a trooper, as was Rachel. She sat on Rachel's lap, looking around at all these kids coming in and standing around her. By the end she was getting a little fussy, so her big brother Andy (dressed in a "sheep" vest, but who had declined to participate) was sent up with a pacifier. This drew a huge "awwww..." from the audience, so all was well. On our way home, we drove around an looked at Christmas lights, hoping for the boys to fall asleep. Didn't work. But they went down pretty easily at home.

Christmas morning of course was wrapping paper and squeals of joy, and my living room was completely trashed. An excellent morning, therefore. The only dark clouds have been William and his cousins - William is not used to playing with smaller children, who sometimes break things by accident and will say "mine!" even when it's not, and he's been a little grumpy about it. But we're surviving.

Today I think we need to get kids out of the house for a bit, so I think we will either find a playground or visit a local attraction or both.