1. Benjamin making capsule sponge animals with the kids. They were SO excited. He was SO patient. The sponge animals were rather deformed. They picked out the ones they wanted by the colors first. This activity totally created the togetherness and awe I hoped for.
2. Always laying around the living room were multiple DSLR cameras, and various other cameras. We had: Canon Rebel, Canon D40, Nikon D40, Nikon D90, Kodak Playsport Waterproof HD video, Flip SD video, Canon Waterproof point n shoot, and multiple cell phones and iPhones that also take photo and video. The one photo I kept meaning to get was one of all four DSLRs together on the coffee table.
3. The way Piper's face looks when you feed her anything other than breast milk. Matt wearing Piper's headband.
4. Christmas gift opening collateral damage.
5. Tabitha telling the Christmas story. Seriously the most animated, super exciting story ever according to Tabitha's version. The kids were completely captivated.
6. Hiking on the hill behind the house, looking at animal paw prints in the sand. Specifically, what appeared to be VERY LARGE cat prints. Like mountain lion large. Daniel's leg and shoe shown for reference. In the last photo, Isabel is drawing "butterfly prints" in the sand. In case you wondered, a butterfly's print looks like a giant butterfly.
7. Aidan break dancing. We had NO idea he knew how to do this!
8. The fire truck in downtown Santa Fe. The kids were over the top about being this close to a fire truck. We were standing on the curb about six feet away while it was waiting at a signal light. All the firefighters started waving at the kids, and they even flashed the lights and siren for us!
9. Downtown Santa Fe - a gorgeous church from the 1800's.
10. The day we were leaving it snowed.
11. As Benjamin and I were driving out of town, we passed this gigantic sculpture of a tongue in someone's front yard. Couldn't help but take a photo!
12. Apparently, the crazy UFO town of Roswell, New Mexico was on our drive home. Benjamin has wanted to visit this place his entire life. Unfortunately, we arrived five minutes before the UFO museum closed, so we just drove through and snapped photos from the street. At least we can say we were there!
13. Precious Christmas traditions. The Advent wreath, with five candles for five sisters and five celebrations of the coming of Jesus Christ. Baby Jesus, a little ceramic doll who has been around as long as I can remember. We would take turns holding him at Christmas each year, ever since I was a little girl. I remember thinking how he kept getting smaller every year. A wooden box, handpainted in Russia, that contains little scraps of paper we each write. It is our gift to Jesus for the year, something given from our heart.
Thirteen has been a good number in my life, so I'll end there. Just a collection of things about Christmas 2010 that I want to remember.
