The Magic House in St. Louis just opened a new wing, complete with a replica of the 'West Wing'. We had a great time with Carl & his 3 kids (Andrew, Jordan, and Lesley)! Aunt Katy and Tim joined the fun. Madeline & Ella enjoyed dressing up like Mulan. 
Christmas at the Strode's was a great time, and the food was awesome! Grandma Great always cooks a great spread for all of her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. We played the traditional Christmas card game of Pass the Ace, but the hit of the day was a friendly game of competitive bowling on the Wii. Mark and I won the first round, but Grandpa Great and Grams gave us a run for our money! 
Santa came by Grams house, too! My girls must have been really good this year to get so spoiled by Santa. We had a wonderful Christmas brunch at Bob & Susan's house, and as always the kids have so much fun with their cousins. The three little girls played with their new dolls together - - so precious! Mark and I got a Wii from Bob & Susan for Christmas, and we've been playing non stop! What an awesome gift!
We had a nice Christmas with Dad, Grandpa Jack & Grandma Clara at the house in Vandalia. The girls always enjoy how their Papaw Doc and Papaw Jack get down on 'their level' and play! The hungry hippos game and my little pony baby were big hits! Mark also loves his remote control helicopter (boys will be boys).
I won a webcam at my work Christmas party, and Mark and I conspired with Brian to schedule a web chat for a Christmas surprise! Mark spent a lot of time getting us all 'hooked up' and ready. It was so much better than a phone conversation, and everyone was thrilled to have nearly an hour to talk with Brian! He seemed really happy to have the face to face interaction, and we were surprised to see his mustache! 
We were so happy to have Nana, Megan, and Gigi come to our home for Christmas. We really had a wonderful time together! The Lincoln Logs from Nana and Megan were a hit and brought back memories of building cabins for hours with Elizabeth, Brian and Megan when we were little... The girls also love their keyboard from Gigi!
Mom wanted to carry on the tradition of going to see a Broadway Show over Christmas. Spamalot the Monty Python musical happened to be at the Walton Arts Center while Mom, Meema, and Megan were visiting. We had a wonderful time and laughed so hard our sides were hurting! Even Meema thought it was outstanding! 
I can't even begin to express how fun this Christmas season was for our two girls. I don't think it gets any better than ages 6 and 3. They were mesmerized with Santa, Christmas, and importantly that Jesus was born on Christmas Day! 
Madeline & Ella have started this new habit of climbing into the twin bed together after mom and dad say goodnight. They seem to sleep better, and I think it is so precious that they don't mind being snuggled up in a little twin bed together. There's even room for Bitty Baby! 
