Our second Christmas at my parents’s house was really low-key, which was great. The kids had all day at home to relax and enjoy and decompress from their first Christmas, so spirits were high and everyone had a great time (there was even some Christmas-themed BINGO!). It was wonderful to spend time with my family; I really wish I got to see my brothers more often.
This year we did things a little differently on Christmas day — it was partly intentional (working around my brother’s crazy fireman’s schedule) and partly unintentional (postponing Christmas with my in-laws because they have been very ill). In any case, here is our “home” Christmas (just us and the kids). Damian gave me a new camera lens for Christmas — WOOHOO! — so you might notice a difference in quality after the first few shots. It works SO well in low light/indoors. I can’t believe it.
Zane got lots of wooden vehicles (including a forklift!), and Lillia’s big present was a star-themed “kid cave” in the basement — it was a lot of work to get everything done in time for Christmas (thanks, Mom & Dad), but so worth it. There’s a video of the “big reveal” at the end of this post. Her reaction was priceless 🙂 Of course, she immediately started “customizing” the space (as was my hope). She’s working on a mural of some sort on the big blank wall next to the stairs. I’ll be posting more photos of the space in a couple of days as part of my New Year’s Resolutions Review for 2013.
Lillia Christmas Day from Kelli Wilson on Vimeo.
This past weekend we visited my sister-in-law in Boston. We took the kids to the New England Aquarium. Although Lillia has been there before, this was Zane’s first time. He didn’t say much while we were there, but all the way home he talked about everything he saw. He was particularly impressed with the turtles, the “skeleton whale”, the seals, and the “diver”. The aquarium was surprisingly not crowded for a weekend day, and I think it was our best experience there so far. There’s always something new! Here are some photos from our trip:
A whole lotta fish.
From “A Christmas Carol” by George Wither:
So now is come our joyful feast,
Let every man be jolly;
Each room with ivy leaves is dressed,
And every post with holly.
Though some churls at our mirth repine,
Round your foreheads garlands twine,
Drown sorrow in a cup of wine,
And let us all be merry.
As promised, here are the photos that Lillia took during her class’s field trip to Walpole Valley Farms in Walpole, NH. As with the collection from the sawmill, these were entirely her creation. I’m beginning to wonder if she might be a better photographer than I am! If she doesn’t go to art school someday, I will be really surprised.
