On Christmas day...

We packed up James and headed for the ferry, hitting the sweet spot between two boats with just 20 minutes between them. The sun was out (but the mountain wasn't).

When we got to my sister's house, James made a beeline for her favorite hideout.

Ella showed off her Christmas gifts, including a book and paper dolls based on the Nutcracker. She was in the island production of the ballet a couple of weeks ago.

Caroline showed me the stuffed animals that Anna made for the two girls.

Then Ella posed with her bunny.

We made towers and houses and barns with the magnetic building blocks.

We talked and laughed and shared, then opened stockings. We took turns scratching off our lottery tickets (my brother-in-law gives them to everyone, and it's become one of our favorite traditions). Vivian won on 4 of 5 blackjack lines! (But not on this ticket... this was mine, which sadly didn't win.)

Ella kept trying to bribe me to let her open her present, but we made her wait until everyone was there to see. I thought she'd burst, but finally her exhausted mom got up from a much-needed nap, and the fun began.

We made canning jars of cookie mix and soup, lemon-sugar hand scrub for the girls, and dry salmon rubs for the boys. And a few silicone kitchen tools, like small collapsible funnels and spatulas.

For the little girls, I made matching games using scraps of quilting fabric and felt. Twenty pairs of tiles make for a pretty challenging game, but when they're older and feeling very clever, they can mix their tiles together and have forty pairs to match up. 

I was amused to watch Ella rip her bag open without unfastening the top, and spill the tiles onto the floor. Vivian asked her mom unfasten the top, then she very carefully shook the bag until the ribbon-wrapped stack of tiles slid out. They're so different, these lovely little girls.

A game was set up immediately on the floor in the bathroom, and games continued all evening long, with creative Ella coming up with all sorts of ways to play the game.

James spent all day sleeping in a basket on the windowsill in the bathroom; my sister's cats came in to check on her, use her litter box, and check out her food. Pip climbed into one of the baskets and kept her company for a while. James kept trying to squeeze into the small basket; I kept telling her she didn't fit, but she wouldn't listen. At least she didn't sleep behind the toilet all day.

My sister and I headed for the kitchen to start dinner, interrupted only once in a rather spectacular way: Vivian's tummy rebelling against snacks and treats and a spinning game. Since dad has the flu, we were all afraid she'd also come down with it, so Anna changed her clothes, and took her home. Viv was pretty quiet, poor thing. But I managed to coax a smile out of her.

We finally headed for bed about 12:30, still wide-awake but giving in anyway.

It was a wonderful day. I hope your Christmas day was amazing, too.