extraordinary merry christmas

Glee style. Track 2. Heard {roughly} 374 times throughout the month of December. It was the little dancer's favourite. She knew all the words. Or what she thought were the words. But she did know the chorus and boy could she belt it out.

Ruby and Cole rose at 5.15am Christmas morning. This is total payback for what my siblings and I did to our parents as kids. And once my eyes decided they could in fact stay open at such a ridiculous hour, my heart exploded seeing the joy on their beautiful little faces at what the big man in red had left under the tree for them. Riding your new big boy bike in the kitchen on Christmas morning will do that. We had to wait till after 7am before Mr E joined the fun. His first Christmas. His favourite gift? The wrapping paper {aka 2011 kindy art}.

We had lunch with my in-laws and drove home in the early evening through flooded roads and around fallen trees, to find golf ball sized hail on the backyard lawn. PJ clad, on went this beauty. When all was finally quiet, hubby glued to what Santa left for him, I saw out Christmas Day constructing tiny gingerbread houses while listening to these sultry tones, in readiness for another Christmas Day with my sister and {soon-to-be}brother-in-law. Which didn't eventuate because as I was doing the usual kid check before I lay my head down, another raging temperature and irregular breath was found with my girl. Back to the hospital we went.

We rescheduled for the day after Boxing Day and had a lovely relaxing day at home with a delicious roast lunch and Jamie's winter pudding bombe for dessert. There was plenty of gingerbread to break off and dunk in your tea, not to mention the peppermint bark, or toffee macadamia cranberry rocky road (my own concoction = total winner). Which, in my sleepy haze, following the previous day/night spent at hospital, forgot to give to our guests to take home with them. I had to eat them. What a shame.

Next Christmas will see us in the sunshine, by the sea, with my whole family. Hurrah!