Christmas

Quinn and Alex awakened early Christmas morning and tried to arouse everyone else, but 5:30 a.m. was pretty ridiculous considering we had only arrived from Ukraine at 8:30 p.m. Christmas Eve! (I was actually already up doing dishes.) We made them eat breakfast first, and then everyone else got up. Let the fevered frenzy begin.

Alex unwrapped this soccer ball and immediately started begging to send it to his friends at the orphanage.

Later in the day we went to Logan to my parents' home for Christmas dinner. It was a really enjoyable afternoon seeing everyone. We decided a few years ago not to exchange gifts with our siblings, and my parents also asked that we not give gifts to them. There's only so much "stuff" we need, right? Instead we pool our money together, and one sibling gets to decide where we will donate the money that year. This year it went to Shriner's Hospital to buy durable goods for children. So for entertainment, we play the "White Elephant" game and bring "junk" from our homes. It's highly entertaining and good for a few gut-splitting laughs.

Awaiting the game to begin. What highly valuable gift should I choose?

I'm sure the day was a little overwhelming for Alex, but he seemed to handle it well. It's crazy that his first day as an American was Christmas. Next Christmas, we hope we can look back on the year and see all the progress he has made.