It is a very quiet Christmas morning. Everyone is still sleeping, mostly because we had a very tumultuous night with Lucky barking at great length around 4:15 AM. Not sure what he was barking at – it was very strange. Of course, he is now snoozing peacefully, having gotten up for a walk at 9, while I am wide awake yet tired at the same time. Oh well – life with a pup.

We've had a busy, fun few days. On Friday night, the girls had a sleepover at Grandma Sandy's house. They watched yet ANOTHER rendition of The Nutcracker – the SF Ballet. They brought our favorite new air swimmer with them:

And here is a picture of Grandma with the girls:

Here also is a picture of the girls lighting the menorah at Grandma's on Thursday:

Yesterday was the last Nutcracker performance – so sad!! I can't believe it's over. Tuvana, Anil, Aliya and Oya came to see the performance, which made it all the more special. Here are some pictures from backstage, beforehand:

And after the performance, the whole cast from Act II stayed on stage, and the stage dumped tons of snow down. They did a big cast photo and those of us hanging around took pictures too:

This is Lily (Clara) and A reaching out for her hand:

Last night we opened a few more presents. The girls' favorite was a megaphone that modulates your voice. I regretted buying it the second they opened it.

A is still working on her pipe cleaner animals and M and I are playing Electronic Battleship right now, while Bubbles the air swimmer floats around the house. A successful Hanukah! And thanks to Aunt Darrah and Uncle Jason for the books that the girls opened last night.

Tonight we celebrate Christmas at Grampy and Nana's, and tomorrow we leave for San Diego!!