Merry Christmas!

It seems like every year, December rolls around more quickly.  Before we knew it, it was Dec. 1 and that's when the kids get their advent calendars.  They each get a personal one with a little chocolate each day.  And also, the boys got a Star Wars Lego advent calendar and the girls got a Playmobil advent calendar.

Karina doesn't particularly like chocolate.  So she struck a deal with Gabe and sold him all her chocolate for $1.

The kids also decorated a gingerbread house.  They all did different parts.  It was all we could do to keep them from eating the candy instead of decorating with the candy.

They wanted it to look EXACTLY like the photo on the box that the gingerbread house kit came from.

We also set up the lights.  Daddy had a little helper.

While outside, we also noticed an observer watching us set up the lights.  This little hummingbird is about 3 inches long and seems to winter around our neighborhood.

We took advantage of the lack of rain and drove out to a tree farm to cut down a tree.  Much to our chagrin, once we got to the tree farm, they said they've run out of trees to cut down that were close to the parking area and that only pre-cut trees were available for sale.

This was definitely not as fun for the kids, but they still took a long time to decide on a tree that ALL were happy with.

They like this tree farm because they also give out hot chocolate and candy canes, which Gabe (not bound by culinary traditions) was dipping and eating.

At home, Eliana started decorating.  She single-handedly put up all the garland and most of the lights.

Xiao Yu helped some with the lights and hung up his ornaments.

Each kid has their own box of ornaments that they've been accumulating since they were babies.

And the most choice ornament to put on is the star on top.  This year Karina got the honor.

The kids also set up the rest of the decorations in the living room, including the stockings.

And also the little village, which is set on top of our piano.

Emily collects nativity scenes and this little one was bought while on a trip visiting Brazil.

The girls were taking voice lessons and during this time had a recital.

They sang a song together.

We often visit the Oregon Zoo to visit the zoo lights.  Before heading into the zoo, we stopped at a Sichuan restaurant and ate yummy food.  We had friends with us.

The trees were wrapped in beautiful lights.  It was nice that it was not so cold like previous years.  But it was super duper crowded.

Here are the kids posing in front of the monkeys.

And we also saw the elephants.  Can you tell which kids were cooperating with the picture and which decided to not?

There is also a tunnel of lights that you walk through.  It is very crowded and fun to go through.

Every year since Eliana was little, we have gone to a show called Magical Strings for their Christmas performance.  It's a family that is super talented...the father plays multiple instruments such as harp, guitar, accordion, and flute.  The mother plays the piano and hammer dulcimer.  Various kids play the organ, cello, one of the daughters is even a concert violinist.  And they also have a troupe of Irish dancers that perform.

As per our tradition, the kids get to eat donuts during the intermission.

And that takes us to the weekend before Christmas.  Since the kids' cousins from Colorado were arriving the next day, Mommy and Daddy spent several evenings wrapping presents after the kids were in bed.  And here is the tree in all its glory.

And during the day, the kids sort through the presents...counting how many presents each person has (Elvin had five this year!) and whose is the biggest (because of course bigger=better).  This year, Karina made a big effort to make or buy and then wrap a present for each person in the family.  Eliana did the same thing.

And then the cousins arrived.  And immediately a battle ensued, with the boys using light sabers made out of pool noodles.

Gabe appropriately put on an Army fatigue Halloween costume.

An incredible amount of cookie baking also ensued.  The kids made various things, such as pretzels with Rolos on top.

Also they rolled out cookies to cut into shapes.

And then decorate.  They also made molasses cookies and candied popcorn and peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses on top.

Eliana decorated a bunch as well.  And to make sure that none of her cookie's disappeared, she wrote "Eliana's" on a cookie and stuck it in the middle of the plate.  

We also visited a show called the Bubble Man in Portland.

It was a guy who was an expert in making bubbles of all sorts.  He even filled some with helium, which would then float up in the air.  He filled other bubbles with an opaque white gas which created interesting effects.

Cousin Jace volunteered to go on stage and got bubbles put on his head!  The two long white things off of his head are columns of bubbles.

There was also quite a bit of wrestling with Uncle Darin.

We paid a visit to Grandpa to wish him an early Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday as well.

In the evening we went to church for the Christmas Eve service.  The highlight for the kids was getting to wear their pj's to church and holding a candle at the end of the service.

Since it was Christmas Eve, we let the kids open up one present.

Gabe got Star Wars toys.

Papai got a hand-stitched glasses holder that Karina made for him.  It was monogramed with a "P" for Papai and a little red heart!

And then it was time for bed...

And then it was time for Santa to get in action.   Soon all the stockings were stuffed in preparation for the next day.

And the next morning couldn't have come faster--from the kids' point of view.  They literally tore into their stockings.

One of the things Eliana got in her stocking was a set of fine tip permanent markers because she has started drawing and sketching more.

Gabe got a Rubik's cube in his stocking, which he had been asking for and he plays with a ton.

Karina got a sewing kit, with spools of thread with tons of different colors, and needles, and a thimble and pin cushion and everything you would need to sew.

Karina also got a loom where you can weave your own cloth.  Do you notice a theme?  And you many notice that hanging around her neck is a little Swiss Army knife.  She said this was one of her favorite gifts and she plans to whittle wood with it.

Eliana got an apron and a cookbook for young chefs.

Gabe got an X-wing Lego set.

Later on that afternoon, we went to the hotel pool to go swimming.  This is the hotel some of the cousins were staying at.

Gabe didn't want to get in, but played with his cube and his new travel chess set.

And he started to build his X-wing and it started taking shape in no time.

That night, we had Christmas dinner.  Bucking tradition, we did not have turkey or ham.  Instead we had roast chicken on a bed of potatoes and butternut squash, along with steak and sautéed onions.

After dinner, folks hung out and kids played with their new toys.

The cousins made a multi-layered cousin sandwich.

Little cousin Julia decided to put on an Iron Man (woman?) costume.

And Gabe kept plugging away at his X-wing.

And that was our Christmas this year!

The next day, the kids did some more swimming before it was time for the cousins to travel back to their home. 

It was time for us to un-decorate the tree.  Here it is, all bare again.  Eliana gets attached to each tree we have and she is giving this one a hug before Elvin dragged it outside.

And Gabe finished his X-wing fighter.  He is very fast!

Here is Karina whittling away.  We told her to practice on pencils first.  And she looped the handles of a plastic bag around her wrists so that the bag would catch the shavings.

Because we hadn't done so before, we drove around to look at houses decorated with Christmas lights.  Most houses still had them up and lit.  Look at this house!!!

So that was how our Christmas went...our first Christmas that is.  On the following day, we were headed off to sunny California to celebrate Christmas number two with Elvin's family.