Oliver's moves.

The Littles brought their new Wii and the kids had a blast doing the dance games on New Year's Eve. Oliver had never played before but jumped right in and started dancing. In fact, he refused to stop dancing. He was pretty good at following along. At the end of every song he would yell out "I won!!" even though he wasn't even holding a controller. Everyone eventually tired out but he kept going. It was nearly midnight and we finally convinced him to take a break. He passed out on the couch in about 20 seconds. He was up bright and early the next morning, asking for the dance game again.

Oliver's Wii Dance from Sarah Black on Vimeo.

New Year's Eve

We were thrilled to have the Littles stop by for another visit on their return trip and liven up our New Year's Eve. Our kids waited anxiously all day for their arrival and got right down to business playing the second they pulled up. We ate food, played games, did some fireworks, did dance games on the Wii, and counted down the New Year. 

Abi and Amelia trying out the balcony view for fireworks, wearing Harry Potter robes.

Oliver and Calvin weren't too sure about the fireworks so they kept their distance.

They were much more comfortable with the window view.

Our neighbor showed us up with real fireworks. Right over our house. Apparently they put on a pretty great Fourth of July show too.

Elsa fell asleep just before midnight. If we let her sleep, she would be mad she missed it. But if we woke her up, she'd be mad we woke her up. We decided to wake her up and hope for the best. Could have been worse.

Kure Beach

We stopped at the beach next to the aquarium before driving home. It was fun to watch all of the birds diving for their dinner. Despite the colder temperatures, the kids still managed to get wet in the waves.

North Carolina Aquarium

We decided one morning to hop in the car and head toward the beach and visit one of the North Carolina Aquariums. It's fun to have closer access to the beach. We headed toward Wilmington and visited the Fort Fisher Aquarium. We discovered that our newly purchased zoo membership got us into the aquarium for free! The kids had a great time running from exhibit to exhibit. Watching the jellyfish was definitely my favorite part.

Meadow Lights

We had thought about going on a short trip right after Christmas but then Elsa got sick so we stuck around home. When she was finally feeling better we ventured out one evening to see Meadow Lights, a Christmas light display in a small, nearby town. They had a train ride through the light display and then a carousel. The kids loved both. Here are some crappy phone shots to prove it.

Christmas Morning: the movie

Christmas Morning 2013 from Sarah Black on Vimeo.

Christmas Morning

I say it every year, but Christmas morning with little kids is the best. The girls woke up at a pretty reasonable time and ran into our room bursting with excitement. Oliver wasn't entirely sure what he was in for but he went along with his sisters. We made them pause for a photo on the stairs which just about killed them. The next few hours were spent unwrapping and unpackaging and assembling. The girls each received the number one item on their wish list, a furby, and were thrilled. Oliver spent all morning playing with his new train table. Simon spent all morning putting random things in his mouth. He loved the chaos. We had a delicious breakfast and spent the rest of the day playing with new toys, watching movies, and playing games. We were able to do a video chat with everyone in my family which was a highlight for me (well, everyone but Erin who was on a crazy adventure in Hong Kong).

The calm before the chaos.

Excited about her new Thea Stilton book.

Aunt Stephanie put together these fantastic Harry Potter packages for the kids. She made these awesome personalized acceptance letters for Hogwarts and set them each up with a wand and robe. The kids loved it.

Proof that I was there! I had fun helping Amelia build her new lego set.

Ben with his most recent power tool acquisition. Chainsaws scare the crap out of me so I'm not sure why I got one for him. But our yard has hundreds of trees so it seemed like a good idea.

Amelia and Elsa spent all of December creating various cards and paper gifts for everyone. They loved hiding in the closet under the stairs to do their secret work and wrapping. Amelia created a "mischief kit for toddlers" for Oliver. It contained paper versions of mischief that he might get into. (Like spilled ketchup, spilled glue, spilled garbage, spilled tooth paste, a broken vase, and some poop. Some of these might have been inspired by real events.)

She also made this card for the family which I loved:

Poor Elsa. She started feeling sick Christmas afternoon and pretty much stayed in bed for the next four days. It was so sad. (And also very quiet around here.) She just had a high fever for several days and no energy. She was a good sport and didn't complain about missing any of the fun and not getting to play with all of her new toys. Santa brought us a trampoline and Elsa just watched out the window as everyone else tried it out. So sad. But she made up for it later.

Simon was a big fan of his new swing. And it was warm enough for bare feet!