Christmas Present(s)

Christmas morning Henry and Erica were up before 7 but I told them we wouldn't be waking up James (since he wouldn't be getting a nap later) so they better go to the basement and watch TV quietly until he woke up on his own. The little dears did just that and James slept until 8:30. Then they had to wait for Justin to shovel the driveway for when my parents made the rounds. It was close to 9 am before we opened presents, a Dye family record.

 Favorite gifts: James- garbage truck and stuffed Lego batman. Erica- stuffed baby bunny and doll clothes. Henry- Patriots blanket and Nutella. Sarah- fitness watch and jacket. Justin: basketball shoes and headache hat. Diana- Book of Mormon journal and booklight.

We ate a breakfast casserole and then my parents came over and it was a constant stream of "Grandma, look what I got."

 And "will you read this to me?" which of course they obliged.

Then we got dressed and went to Justin's parents' house for more gifts and games and food.

We had a big dinner of New York roast and rib roast and played games, did a puzzle, and pretty much just hung around.

Then we had a gingerbread building contest. We were on 2 teams and had 30 minutes to make a graham cracker structure and were judged on height, beautifulness, and strength.

Justin's team won on height.

 That's a toilet.

 My team won on beautifulness. Here's the back.

 And the front.

 Strength broke the tie. How many DVDs can your structure hold?

 We won!