FIFTY-ONE

Christmas cookies this year: raspberry cream cheese stars, harvest spice cookies, hazelnut cookies, spicy gingersnaps, and Swedish coconut cookies.

With Grandma.

Waiting for Santa at Bass Pro Shop.

Playing in the "snow". 

Too much anticipation ended in just terror. She wouldn't even tell him about the mermaid with the green tail. Luckily, he's Santa so he knew about it already. 

All those sweet cheeks.

Sticky note crown.

Boy King. 

My mom sent me some slippers for Christmas. They're made in Poland. I love them. 

Christmas bath is not fun if you're a pup.

For Christmas Eve dinner, I made Peking Duck with a sweet sauce and spicy mustard on the side, homemade potstickers (Matthew took one bite and said, "This is all I want for my birthday. 60 potstickers all to myself."), steamed snow peas, and rice. Everything was so tasty. 

Theodore ate at least 10 oranges that day. 

Christmas Day dinner was a cheese and condiments spread. We contributed the worst cheeses (hah) but everything else was super good. 

Lovely hazy Christmas afternoon. 

Quotes:

V- "This is not a secret but can you please not listen to my words?"
Me- "Uhm ok?"
V- "I was all alone and there was no one around to see me and I accidentally ate a bite of a candy cane."
Me- "I think it would be hard to accidentally eat a candy cane. Were you being sneaky?"
V- "Yes... But I told the truth so I'm not in trouble!"

"I'm breathing really hard to make the car warmer for you mama!"

"Ouch! I hurt my little toe when I fell! Look at it it's so terrified."

Me- "Why aren't you in your seat buckled up yet?"
V- "I had to fight my wolfness first."

"I wrote this note for giraffe's sister... Allison." (We don't know anyone named Allison. I don't know where she pulled that one from.)

"Papa, I want a story about a monkey ripping Tinkerbell's skin apart."

"Look at your flowers are popping open! And when they all pop open then they're going to die in a couple days!"

Vera found a little turtle toy. "*Gasp* Look! It's little turdy!"

Some of Vera's commentary during Christmas church.
"Mama I was singing this song so loud about my SNAFF!"
"I sang about Giraffe again! I'm so grateful for her."
"Wow, that was so loud in my ears!" (just as the choir finished)
Sobbing so loudly "I DON'T WANT TO SIT BY PAPA!"

We were at Target and the parking lot was full of grackles. They were all chirping and cackling and Theodore points at them and starts growling loudly as though that's the noises they were making. I tried to get him to say "Tweet Tweet" but he would just growl.

When Theodore sees bears, in pictures or toys, he points and growls at them. When we were waiting in a check out line a large, grizzly, kind of dirty, man walked up behind us and Theo pointed at him and started growling. :)