Wish You Were Here

Saturday

Merry Christmas!
It’s definitely been one of the most fun in history.

We started the morning early, at about 6:30am, but that’s not too unusual for us these days. The kids were absolute champions - happily eating breakfast before touching any presents, and then only opening their stockings while we waited for everyone to be awake and halfway caffeinated.

The anticipation is sure to kill them soon.

The opening of the stockings (which is really one of my favorite parts of Christmas).

Oh, you cute boy.

Ooh, it’s an Owl Post stamp! Now Sophie can send official Harry Potter mail.

If you need a Ben10 Alien Force character projected onto your wall, Felix is your guy.

Sophie’s Harry Potter lightening bolt necklace. It was a very HP Christmas.

You can’t accuse the Robertson/McLaughlin/O’Reillys of not being festive.

Sophie bought Stephen Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans (also Harry Potter), and I’m sad to report that they were actually not bright enough to just enjoy looking at them. They had to taste them. Flavors include: sausage, onion, cheese, pepper, gravy, and lemon, but you don’t know what you’ve got until you bite into it.
Idiots.

Stephen also got a Beatles book.

And really, really nice gin that can only be produced in Tasmania.

Uncle Ken got lots of hugs.

The kids got spoiled with DSis. The flight home will be awesome.

And then it was time for food! We had duck, turkey, ham, prawns, lobster, roasted vegetables, roasted garlic, salad, beet root, and other stuff that I can't remember now. It was all amazing.

Hey, look. Photos with both Stephen AND me in them. It's like a Christmas miracle.

Another Christmas tradition are the crackers that you snap. Then we all wear the stupid hats for the entire meal.

Oh, is it time for dessert already? Judy and Ken are regular customers at a French restaurant called Paris Brest, and this awesome creation came from there. It's white chocolate, cream, and raspberry.

And then up to my other aunt's house for Christmas, part two. She and her husband live in North Beach.

Eee! The adorable baby Jemma was there.

And Patrick. isn't he a doll?

Then Mean and Awful Tim had the idea that we should take the kids down to the beach, so we did.

When I say, "down to the beach", I mean that we had to walk one whole block down. (Tell me again why we live in a land-locked state?) These beautiful plants were on that block-long walk.