7th Day

Older girls like to build, younger kids, esp X, like to play.

6th Day

Assorted gifts: Avengers coloring book for X, mermaid sticker book for Z, both from M; Avengers Lego set, glow-in-the-dark stars, invisible ink pens from us to share.

St Nicholas

Fr Marwan invited the kids to the parish to see a movie (EWTN) about St Nicholas, after which he gave them a short quiz on what they saw, and then he helped them do a paper craft. (M2 only wanted to watch so Fr gave her his.) Apparently this is a usual program in Lebanon, priests visiting local villages and doing some activities with the kids during the Christmas season.

5th Day

Boxes from Aunt Christie, always an assortment of gifts including watches, candies, dream catchers, Christmas solar swinging figurines, stickers, bracelet making kits. J got a flashing singing bobble head bunny; X got a remote control car that does flips; M2 got a stuffed unicorn; M got a game; Z got a hover flyer; G and BB both got sparkly bracelets and nail polish kits.

4th Day

Christmas box that Uncle Mark and Aunt Cindy sent, full of art supplies, a couple bracelet making kits, a firetruck for X, and a box of teas for Drew and me.

3rd Day

G's gift of chalk markers (on glass windows) to the rest of the kids; BB's gift of leather-bound notebook to G; and (not pictured) G's coupons to Drew and I for dinner, babysitting, and "medium" jobs.

Crafting

Purse that BB sewed from a kit I bought in Taiwan (gift to penpal?); rock necklace I helped M make for her godmother; and G assembling paper houses for our Christmas village.

2nd Day of Christmas

Gifts -- stuffed animal and new outfit each -- from someone at parish.

Lego Quinjet

From Santa. Girls spent several hours assembling this.

Christmas Early Birds

Holiday Cookies

That Fr treated us to.

New Glasses

Both of them.

Found!

The first egg of this flock!

He Fell Asleep

St Lucy's

G made cinnamon rolls.

Guadalupe Mass and Dinner

Smashed in like sardines at mass, completely in Spanish, kids all well behaved for most part. Had some trouble with J wanting to go to sleep and we'd forgotten her paci. Tamales with side of rice and beans for (second) dinner (with Michelle and one of daughters Sofia), desserts all snatched up by the time we made our way over there. Late night...

X's "Train Face"

Capes

Reversible capes that BB made for them for Christmas -- and this year's Christmas tree. :)

St Nicholas

Kids got chocolate gold coins -- breakfast of champions! --, a Lego figure each (e.g. Gamora of Guardians of the Galaxy, the Winter Soldier, Star-Lord, Venom), and mini flashlights.

Pulled Herself to Standing

Cloverbud Speech

M earned a green (non-competitive) ribbon for her speech on our chickens, judge had nothing but nice things to say about her effort, told her to keep on giving speeches. BB's speech (on homemade superheroes) earned a blue ribbon.