A Thankful Christmas Morning

 Christmas morning arrived with smiles and well rested daughters. Callie and Reese slept in until around 8:00am. It's actually a relatively early time for them but late enough to be very reasonable for the adults in the house. Some things to note from this traditional top of the stairs photo - everyone's hair continues to grow since there were no haircuts during the pandemic; Callie is certainly as tall as Sarah even when sitting down; Reese might be getting too big to sit on her Mom's lap.

It was another great Christmas morning. The girls have established a pattern where they open their stockings together, trying to share the joy as they open their respective treats. They look for stocking items that are similar in size to see if they both got the same toothpaste, chapstick, or other goodie. What is so great to see is the shared excitement for each other. The same goes for all the presents, and when Callie opened up her big gift of the year - a blender - Reese was equally excited. (Not sure sure if Reese was excited for Reese's frother since she doesn't enjoy hot chocolate or other drinks in need of a froth) but nonetheless they generally savor each other's happiness.

Of course we all know that the presents we receive do not always include everything we asked for. It is a fact of life and it helps us develop important social skills. In years past when Reese has asked for a dog she has gotten a stuffed animal. This year it was a sweet chocolate dog. She was excited for the chocolate, but behind that smile we know is a hint of disappointment. Better luck next year, Reese!

Christmas morning also included our traditional quiche brunch and a day of laziness. We had nowhere we needed to be and were more than happy to take advantage of that. Most important, we had a wonderful day being together and being thankful for each other.