A very merry stomach bug Christmas

2003 will forever be known as the Christmas of the Stomach Bug. Apparently it has a life cycle like the cicada because 15 years later

it's back.

With a vengeance.

The Good Doctor started it. For once he actually had his Christmas "gift" early. Perfectly timed for first Eden, and then HopeAnne, to start dropping like flies on Christmas Eve, which happens to be the King family Christmas.

Between movies -

Teaching Sarah how to ready the annual

cinnamon rolls for Christmas Eve morning

Thankfully everyone was doing fine for Christmas Eve Eve and the traditional pizza dinner and 80s (or thereabouts) movies. This year we introduced Sister Act and Dead Man Walking. We actually did pretty well with our picks this year as each one had only been seen by 1 person in the Under-50 crowd.

The annual reading of the Christmas stocking letters

Eden just couldn't wait for morning and started her venture into stomach flu territory in the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning, tripping over Mariana who was on a mattress on her floor. She did try to join us (while sitting apart from the rest) for a little while but then had to give up the fight.

She tried

Hope made it through brunch and gift-giving before she succumbed.

A Secret Santa alpaca painting

from Eden

And she had Jesse's name. She crocheted

some famous hammer from some

popular movie. They know what it is.

Oh, and a taco tie for teaching.

Isaac went clothes shopping for Mariana.

His favorite gift

which happened to be from his Secret Santa -

Sing characters!

And then we sent everyone off to MomMom and PopPop's house to spend Christmas where hopefully they can avoid the dreaded bug. And we get to enjoy a nice, quiet Christmas with just the three of us.

Unbought items from Wedding Registries 

make great Christmas gifts, and here I thought

all along that Andrew had put that 

Poop Emoji Plunger on the list!

A bunch of new books and audio CDs 

for our story-loving boy

Eden helped Victor paint some paper and then she

cut it apart into a beautiful painting for me

When Victor was home sick last week he needed something to do

so we made a Christmas gift for Dad

Jesse found his woodworking side

while living with PopPop and MomMom this fall

A soap/shower gel dispenser -

only Jesse

Except it didn't really feel like Christmas. Too quiet. But these Christmases end up being some of the most memorable obviously.