Christmas Day

It was a morning filled with bikes, dolls, and every imaginable doll accessory. We all had a very nice morning, and it was capped off with the girls chatting with all four of their grandparents.
A local friend had made and given the girls this house. Small toys and candy filled the inside. So incredibly kind.
The aftermath ...

Early Celebration

We had some friends come over to celebrate Christmas a little early. They brought a bunch of presents for the girls ... which served to confirm the thought that one of the best ways to love a parent is to love their child. We were so encouraged.
Megan's love language is clearly and most definitely gifts.
Sweet backpacks. And they can use those big, inflatable hands to smack each other without leaving bruises.

Show Time

Since October, the international school has been preparing for tonight's Christmas performance. This year, all three girls are involved, and they've been spending quite a bit of time getting ready. The girls were excited and ready to hit the stage.

Before we left, we took the opportunity to get some shots of the girls.
Lia waits to play the bells with her classmates. Under this placid look, she is totally excited. Really.
Then she spots me.
Meg and Val are appropriately dressed as angels.
Some of the audience seated in the balcony. There were many local school children in attendance. It was great to have them.

Christmas Tree

We battled an adundant amount of dust, but we finally got our Christmas tree out from under the guest bed. Doesn't everybody keep their tree there?

I don't remember if I wrote about it last year, but when we bought our tree, it came in three sections - two middle sections and one top section. It was missing the bottom section. Oh well. For the price we paid, I'm not surprised. But we think our little, two-sectioned tree looks just fine.

Lia enjoys reading by the light of the tree.
This year, we decorated it with all porcelain ornaments; they're colorful and bright. Here are some close-ups of the different varieties.