There is nothing like experiencing Christmas with a 3 year old; that is unless you are sick and the 3 year old isn’t. Kathryn and I came down with nasty colds the weekend before Christmas, forcing us to cancel our plan trips to visit each side of the family. Meanwhile we were house bound and Eric was bouncing off the walls. Fortunately Jen invited him to make cookies one afternoon and we got better. (I heartily endorse Zicam to abate cold symptoms). Christmas eve we went to the early church service, came home for dinner and then set out milk & cookies for Santa and reindeer food (oatmeal with sprinkles); magically they all got eaten.

Christmas Day Ed & family and Billie Jo & Dakota joined us for a chaotic period of opening presents followed by Christmas dinner.

Eric got some cool toys:

Cubero – a wooden blocks with grooves and tunnels cut in them for marbles to track along. It came with a cardboard box fort kit.

• Elefun – a fan powered elephant head/trunk that shoots ‘butterflies’ into the air for capture with a net

Snow sleds (we have no snow), picture bingo, card games, Playdough, and dinosaur puzzles

Kathryn received fleece pants and a hoodie, a singing bird book, an iPod and a soft boiled egg aid that turns color as the eggs cook. (She got a iHome/iPod radio for her birthday 4 days later.) I received hiking shoes, a water filter and snowshoeing and waterfall trail guides. Despite the sickness and canceled family visits it was one of the nicer holiday seasons.