A Few Notes on Christmas

Mike and I feel so smart. We each put some videos on our iPods for the kids to watch on the plane. Mike bought a splitter for our iPods and two sets of children's headphones. Mike and John watched Wall-E on the first flight and Eleanor and I watched an episode of Mickey's Playhouse.

John and Eleanor are having a great time playing with their aunts and uncles. As usual, they received quite a haul. Eleanor now has several horses to play with, including a pegasus that walks. When we put the kids to bed last night we held firm that they could each take one toy that didn't make noise.

Eleanor was upset that she couldn't take her Pegasus, which not only makes noise, but is bilingual. She sniffed, "But it's very mine."

Among John's favorite gifts is a small pick-up truck with a guitar on it.

Eleanor, always one to share, put Hershey's kisses in front of each statue in Grandma's manger. I think that John ate most of them.

Photos with Santa

Take One: Late November
John was persuaded to stand next to Santa so long as he could clutch the photographer's penguin. After negotiating for a Flying Vee http://www.tachyonlabs.com/veewee.html John took a few steps closer.

Take Two: Mid-December
After mall haircuts and cinnamon pretzels, John and Eleanor wanted to make sure Santa knew who they were. This is the photographic answer to the whole "naughty or nice" issue.

The Trouble with Twins

John and Eleanor are hot on the birthday party circuit. We attend parties most weekends.

This evening they got into an argument over one of the hot new items in our house:

Breyer Mini Whinnies

They are basically a choking hazard in horse form. Eleanor adores them.

The following exchange took place when John took one:

Ellie: You are not my friend. And you are not invited to my birthday party, my Cinderella birthday party!

John: You can't come to my birthday party.

Dad: Johnny is your friend and he is coming to your birthday party.

Ellie: Well, he isn't getting cake and he isn't getting a goody bag.

We had a similar argument the other day. I tried to explain that they have the same birthday, but they didn't buy it.

I guess we're having two cakes this year. Eleanor, obviously, wants Cinderella. John wants a Superman cake. They even have separate lists of goodies for the goody bags. Both lists include candy, but John also wants to give his friends meatballs and cereal.