Christmas Day 2006 (Zetterstrom)

Our final Christmas celebration was at my Uncle Scott's house. He and Linda serve a traditional Thanksgiving meal (turkey and fixings). As Rachel Ray would say, "yum-o". My folks, Grandee and Uncle Mark, his daughters Sierra and Stephanie, Lisa and her kids, and Seth and Rob are all there to make merry. It made for quite a crowded house.

Christmas Day 2006 (Burkes)

Christmas started bright and early when the boys woke up at dawn, no ill affects apparent from their late evening. The gift opening extravaganza continued; this is our fourth of the season. Eli says that he enjoys having it spread out over several days.

Once Ashley and I woke up we all gathered around to open presents. It was followed by a delicious (and by now, traditional) breakfast of french toast and peeled citrus fruits. Then we were off to Virginia to meet up with the Zetterstrom crowd.

Christmas Eve 2006

We spent Christmas Eve in West Virginia with Grandma and Grandpa. The kids got to open a couple of gifts; just enough to keep them occupied before dinner.



Afterwards we went to Barbara's brother's house in Hagerstown Maryland for the annual Spicher Christmas Eve party. It doesn't start until early evening, which makes things interesting for children who normally go to bed at 8pm. But the kids got all juiced and candied up and kept it going until after 11 pm, and then zonked out as soon as we got in the car.

This year we had a new treat: pickled watermelon rind, wrapped in bacon, and baked. It sounds strange, but is really really good. The rind is translucent and almost flavorless, and keeps the bacon moist. It just about melts in your mouth with bacony goodness.

Craft Room Finished

Avery and Zach's new room above the garage is finally done after two months of construction. The boys love all the new nooks and crannies the space provides. They use one of the storage areas as a secret room and have moved a bunch of toys into it. I am using the space for their art projects (drawing, coloring, cutting, gluing, etc) and I was able to move all the crafts out of the butler's pantry. Not only do we have more space for kitchen stuff; we have also put a serious dent in the downstairs clutter.

Christmas Holidays 2006

With an interesting blend of Christian and Jewish traditions, and an extended family spread out around the country, December is full of presents and parties. We kicked off the season today on the Burke side, with Martin, Barbara, and Caitlin and Nora visiting from out of town. After gifts and a meal, we drove up to Ellicott City to celebrate Hanukkah at the Schobels (aka: more gifts and another meal!).

Holiday Card Photos

On Sunday we went to our community holiday party at the Ahrens Institute, about a mile up the road from our house. We took the bus there and while we waited Avery and Zachary posed in front of the Visitor's Center fountain. Eli is still getting used to the new camera, but his snapshots turned out well.



At the party they had a large HO scale train set on display, a ride-on train that went on a path around the grounds, and plenty of food to snack on while the kids sat for story time. Avery did very well, so I may try taking them to story time at the library again soon.