Christmas 2009

Christmas morning. At our own, peaceful home. Stunned daughter. This was the closest I got to a smile when she saw the Disney princess castle that she'd been asking for:

It took a good while to come out of that weird, overwhelmed stage..

Caroline got a bunch of small bath toys (all squirting-types which Santa will soon sorely regret):

The biggest hit came from cousin Ally, who sent Maggie this princess tent and sleeping bag:

Stocking full of teething toys:

The only toy that brought a reaction...once. She's been totally disinterested since:

Please ignore the the kindling (er...um...tree) in the background. This is the second year in a row that our lovely fresh cut tree has kicked the bucket well before the big day. We did everything right and we still killed them. We're springing for a fakey.

After a lazy morning (and the kids finally soaking in the pile of gifts) we took a big look at the aftermath....and walked out to catch our flight to Phoenix.