Christmas. Check.

Christmas is finished. I'm happy and sad. There really is no other holiday that completely takes over entire families like Christmas does. Everyone feels obligated to be nice and to visit with people you wouldn't normally visit with during the other parts of the year, and if they are anything like me, instead of reminding them why they don't visit normally it reminds them that they are a jerk for having missed out on their company for so long. I love Christmas because it makes me feel like a jerk; and for at least a few weeks after the holidays I keep those folks in mind and I call and email and may visit a time or two, but it's too bad the holiday spirit doesn't stick around after the holidays. That would rock, but then again it would just be July, not the holidays anymore, but if everyone kept the holiday spirit year round I guess we wouldn't miss the holiday time of year, because it would be all year. Get spirity people! Let's holiday the crap out of this year!

This Christmas Erik was adamant about us not getting stressed out by bouncing back and forth between the families... the families that live five miles apart, the families that understand we have other families to see and visit with and love on. Yeah, he was the only stressing about not stressing, and by the time we finally collapsed onto the last couch of the night he still couldn't relax because he was Stressy McStresserpants. I was eating my second plate of cheesecake by the time he calmed down. Next  year I think I'll make out a chart or timeline or Excel spreadsheet for him. (7:00 Home, 10:00 Porters, 16:00 Rosendahls, 22:00 Home.) I love making lists and spreadsheets so that's no hard thing for me to do, though I don't know if I would be able to handle super serious Daddy with a list, Mommy's with lists are fine but give a Daddy a list and all of a sudden there are bullwhips and cattle prods and "Where are you're shoes, soldier!?" and as much as Erik is suited for that line of torture I'm really excited to see what kind of a monkey wrench a three year old will be in any plans we make for next year. Ha! never underestimate the power of the Laine.

I didnt' take near the amount of pictures this year as I did last year. I was a little busy chasing Laine and eating. Mostly I was eating, so there are a select few photographs this year, but you won't be able to tell the difference seeing as how you only get shown the best anyway. I'll know though, my December '10 folder is tiny compared to my December '09.

So to round up the holiday, here are the best of the few shots I got. I hope every one who celebrates Christmas had a merry one.