Christmas Day

This photo was taken at 9am, showing a couple things: 1.  Our puppy is so cute and we are all still enamored and competing for her attention.  2.  I think it is acceptable to feed my children lollipops at 9am anytime during the month of December.   

Everyone is getting puppies, including friends I would never expect to own a goldfish, much less an animal that poops inside.  Christina's newest family member hung with Roxy on Christmas Eve as we waited for Santa to row into shore.

I paddled out on Christmas Eve with Hilary to join 34 other surfers at Waiohai.  We did not last long and moved to another break.  Kauai is like a lot of the nation and tired of limiting gatherings.  We do not have much to worry about as tourism quit again until at least the end of February, and we have very few cases of COVID.  I wish our schools would open back up but in the meantime, we are all competing for waves (and Santa) since there are no jobs and no sports.  

I was shocked when Santa handed out candy!  Whoa.  Is that allowed???  It is a major step up from years' past when it was clear that the kids were getting leftover Halloween treats.  Thanks, Santa!

Zachary and his new surf friend, Otis:

Kate and her surf friend (and sibling to Otis), Milly:

Kate and her original surf companion, Penelope, posing with our Hawaii Santa:

Brady got off work early on Christmas Eve and joined us for a gusty beach afternoon.  Owen was so happy for the attention from daddy.

Christmas Eve at the Clarks.  Heidi stopped by the side of the road to get the foliage, painted the Nativity, and found games to play in addition to hosting the dinner.

Nic locked the kids out for a few minutes and they laughed and laughed.

Family photo op:

Owen was so excited to drink his fancy drink with his fancy glass.

Drawing the Nativity blind:

Charades:

The saran wrap present game:

Recreating a family photo:

After a night of love and laughs with our Kauai family, we headed home.  Kate had horrible nights leading up to Christmas for the previous two weeks, many after 11pm.  She is so much like her mama with the anxiety/excitement/sleeplessness.  My favorite moment of Christmas was listening to Brady sing Christmas songs to the kids while they lay in their beds that night.  

Setting up Christmas--quite a bit different than last year when we had no power!

We snagged some photos of Santa's notes, letters, and presents before letting the kids come downstairs the next morning.

Our first puppy Christmas!

I wanted a piece of chocolate orange, so I pounded this guy firmly on the counter, and opened it for a slice of chocolate only to find that it was actually an apple.  One of Brady's subcontractors sent them from Washington for a small fortune.  Everything around the hideous bruise was delicious.

Merry, merry Christmas to these lovely children.  I saw a meme that said, "I think children deserve a ton of credit for how they handled 2020.  We asked them to change their lives in numerous terrible ways, largely for the protection of adults.  And they did it."  -Matthew Segal  My kids have not had to make terrible changes in their lives and they have still had some contact with closest friends with of course the precautions and recommendations our community has in place, but this year was a bear for our kids.  I feel like I went overboard with the gifts this year in a shallow attempt to make up for the canceled vacations, missed visitors, and experiences they did not have.  I don't know how I will rationalize next year's excess, but I'm feeling good about my logic this year.

Bean bag that converts to a bed for whenever we get mainland visitors again and Zac loses his bedroom.

Kate's emphatic reading of Santa's letter.

Owen's"little bear" chair (think Goldilocks).

Santa gifted Owen an "American Girl Boy Doll."  He and Kate have already played dolls together a handful of times.

A pink leash!  She asked us for a turquoise one, but Santa knows best!

BALANCE BOARD!?  And snagging Zachary's infamous expressions.

Brady was so excited about the wind and rain: "It's a Kauai white Christmas!"

Zac made this thing look so easy immediately.  I tried it a moment later and almost dove into the TV.

Good morning, sleepy parents.

He opened up all his presents from the comfort of the board.  This is why he will pass me up on surf waves very soon.

Roxy took over the beanbag in the meantime.

Sibling gifts: Kate bought him a Bubba's hat so he can get a drink whenever he gets a burger.  She was so excited about this idea and the gift landed.

Kate's Christmas frame with her favorite pictures of her with Brady:

Now he's just showing off.  Seriously.  Mom and Dad Edwards find the best toys and we played this Jazzmitton game a hundred times just on Christmas.

Hooray!  A board for Owen.  He asked Santa and put a surfboard on every list, but for a kid that won't get in the water, a surfboard seems like a premature gift.  Santa must have figured a scooter board would be better practice until he is more comfortable in the water.  Owen agreed and loves his board.

Go Cougs.

Brady shipped chocolate covered cinnamon bears as a surprise to me.  It's a sweet gift.  We didn't make it to the mainland and I buy these every time we are in Utah.  I don't know why I'm so obsessed because they aren't amazing, but they sure do bring back memories.

Mother/Daughter bracelets from the always-thoughtful Kate.

Sibling gift from Owen to Kate: a new lego friends bakery set.

Sibling gift from Zachary to Owen: the National Geographic gemstone dig.  Owen did not want a single present after he opened this one and was dying to start his archeological process the moment we were finished with gifts.  He stuck with it for an hour and a half, still wearing Christmas PJs at noon.  (I will still never forget Zachary doing a very similar dig, but at Kristen's house in her kitchen.  HAHAHA!)

Kate is also three times better at the balance board than I am.

Books from Grandma and Grandpa Nufer.

We finished the day off with an afternoon surf, leftover dinner with friends, and games way too late into the evening.  At the end of the night, I was ready to join Roxy in a pile of dirty laundry for a cozy sleep. Merry Christmas, 2020!