CHRISTMAS EVE

We had planned on spending Christmas Eve alone this year, Originally, Tim and Bethany et al had planned on visiting us for Christmas but, due to severe weather in the Portland area, they told us earlier in the week that there would be a 95% chance that they would not be able to make the trip after all.

Then, on Christmas Eve Eve (December 23rd), they decided to make the trip anyway. Four hours of driving got them only 25 miles from their house. Over nine hours of total driving time finally got them to Medford shortly after midnight. They brought Lucille (aka Granny) with them.

I had to work on Christmas Eve, but got off early and arrived home to a houseful of happy Christmas celebrators. We ate pizza, played games, and opened a few gifts.

We also got on the Internet at around 3:00 p.m. with a web camera attached to the laptop and talked to and saw all the Moffit clan while they were opening gifts on Christmas day in the Philippines. They are 16 hours ahead of us. Fourteen of us who were huddled around two laptop computers got to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together!

Rylie, Silas and Baylee play a game of "Trouble" together.

The audience for Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" included Tim and Silas and . . .

. . . Papa and Devon.

Naomi, whose height while sitting down is shorter than the height of our coffee table, plays with a ping-pong-ball-shooting gun without actually figuring out how to shoot ping-pong balls.

Granny and Bethany recover from the exhaustion of a very long drive through a whole bunch of snow.

Silas helps Nana make a tasty treat.

Devon enjoys the fruit of Silas' labor.

Silas enjoys the fruit of Silas' labor, too.

There's always one in every crowd.

The Weathersbys have a tradition of always having each kid open one gift before going to bed on Christmas Eve. That gift is always the same. That gift is always new pajamas. Naomi shows everyone how soft her new pajamas are.




The packaging is often more fun than the gift inside the packaging.

Tim and Silas laugh at a bag lady wandering through the living room.

Identity of the bag lady revealed.

While the children were nestled all snug in their beds, Tim worked on a sudoku puzzle. Apparently, Santa had already descended down the chimney by this time, had done his stocking thing, and then disappeared.

Ashley wears her new hat, a gift from the Moffits.

Debra basks in the glory of her "Instant Manicure", a gift from the Moffits.

I was thrilled to receive a Dave Barry book from the Moffits. Unfortunately, however, I was not able to read it for several days. Bethany held the book in a vice-like grip and would not share it. Instead, she chuckled, giggled and guffawed in her own little corner for long periods of time.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Daisy got a skateboard from Papa, Nana and Aunt Ashley.

Ally, a blossoming young thespian, got a bunch of face paints and costumes from the same trio.

And Neo, a blossoming young sneak who still loves to chant the word "Papa", succeeded in lifting a wrapped present from a big shipping box when no one was looking and then unwrapping it all by himself.