Christmas Mayhem

Why O looks so shell-shocked I'm not sure...This was the first holiday (counting birthdays, easter, anything) in forever that he actually slept past 6. Usually he's up at 4 and is a wreck all day.  Don't you love our rad tree? This is the cut-out/flat pack tree's second christmas....and maybe the last, it's looking so sad and is nearly broken.   The kids cut it out of backerboard with a leatherman and put ornament hanging holes in with a crooked hand drill.  We saw and ad for a 2-meter tall fake palm tree and we wanted it BAD.  But it was expensive (2M kwacha./$400) and when we saw it in person it was really lame.  I mean really really lame.  If it goes on sale after Christmas.....I might have to spring for it.

The kids had a few scavenger hunts to find christmas presents...the first was almost eaten -- two clues were hidden inside two crepes!

...and the kids sorting out more clues.

Santa completed the TINTIN collection this year!  (Caveat... we're taking a pass on 'tintin in the congo' -- one that most publishers agree was from another era and could be left out of the reprints.)  Most interesting is the 'last' book -- a collection of papers from Herge's notebook, his unfinished notes for the book he was working on when he died

Can they EVER have enough legos?? (Thanks Santa Anna!)

Daddy-O modeling the most hideous awesome shirt ever.  Thing 2 INSISTED on sewing something christmas eve...all the shops were closed and the traffic was too thick to go out anyway, and so he picked THIS out of the fabric box.  It happens to be the lining of our couch (under the cushions) so if he ever is looking for a good hiding place, he'll be perfectly camouflaged.  

Enjoying the first episode of the "Barefoot Detectives"
 (Note:  TJ's wearing the shirt that Thing 2 used as the pattern for his elephant tunic creation)

TJ's missing present was on the roof.  Here is Thing 2 deciding AGAINST climbing along the open balcony railing.

"What?"  Approach attempt #2 -- send the kid up a rotten wooden ladder to retrieve your present!

an afternoon with the new toys:  underwater camcorder and the body board.  (happy that the sun decided to make an appearance)

Future Jaques Cousteau.  Filming his shadow at the bottom of the swimming pool.

SHARK ATTACK! Swim for your lives!!

I got so excited about this I forgot to put them in TJ's stocking.  Just imagine dancing rings around your tastebuds with juicy hot dog flavoured chips.  Mmmmmmm, DISCOS! Let's snack?  (ooof, let's not!)

"Dear Leader, Your breath is so fresh!"  This was the bestest stocking stuffer from last year.  So good, in fact that I really couldn't think of anything (excepting the Hot Dog Discos) to top it.  

snow-globes for dessert.  oh how I love from-scratch chocolate pudding.