EVERYBODY Loves "The Sound of Music"

Christmas came twice for us this year. We celebrated the Mickelson family Christmas a week late so Sarah and Elias could join us. The boys knew we would be opening more presents this weekend, and they wanted to open them yesterday as soon as we got here. I somehow convinced them that we had to wait until today when everyone was together, and they took me at my word. The moment they woke up this morning they were desperate to tear into those big, beautiful boxes. We endured three hours of begging, whining, and loud demands, until finally (after an amazing breakfast frittata made with smoked ham, parmesan-reggiano cheese, and parsley made by Sarah) we let them tear in. M and E made out like bandits - three new boxes of Lego sets and a new car each. They were in kid heaven and spent the rest of the day playing with (and fighting over) their new toys. Despite this toy territory marking, I was actually impressed with their behavior today. I had spent an hour coaching them on the proper way to act after receiving a gift (i.e. not yelling "gimme another present!") and M actually followed through. There is hope for them yet.

My favorite part of the day other than the wonderful run I went for in the morning (the sun was shining, the snow was crunching, the air was gelid but still, I was the only person on the roads, and I just felt good), was watching poor Derek trying so hard to eat dinner with us while listening to the Vikings on the tv in the other room. Every now and then he would have to go investigate what was happening and we would hear him yelling, "oh come on!", or "are you kidding!", or "what!?!", from the other room. My dad does the same thing. It must be a guy thing. Also comical: Lisa was internet shopping for baby gear, found a crib she liked, and called Derek to come to computer to see it. Derek's big tough guy response: "but I'm watching The Sound of Music!" and he really was.