The Joy can come from the wrapping paper

Our first Day of the Wisemen with cousins! Holidays are definitely meant to be celebrated in a group. This has been such fun.

Since the Wisemen would be leaving gifts both on the main floor and the top floor of the home, all eight of us slept on the middle floor. Mattresses were dragged down the stairs and into the children´s room. Sleeping spots were staked out. Teeth were brushed. Then the pieces of the puzzle moved rapidly.

The child on the top bunk now wanted to be down by her sister. Her sister wanted to be on another mattress by herself. A stuffie was offered in concession. Another was gifted without reason and received with kissees and glee. Then the first child complained that another wouldn´t supply enough hugs, then that the other was laying too close. All of these changes were interupted by ¨silenci!¨ said by voices of various pitches and intensity.

All had been given strict instructions. Be Quiet (silenci!) tonight so the Wisemen will come. The child who usually is asleep within seconds couldn´t fall asleep. ¨I´m too excited!¨ Joaquim and I were the official adults in the room with the children, but other adults were dragged in to settle the little ones. David was awake at 3:30am, and evey half hour thereafter asked the same question, ¨Is it morning yet?¨ By 7:30am all three children were awake at the same time, and we paraded down the stairs to see if the water had been consumed by the camels and if presents had been left.

Each child was thrilled with their gifts, and showed equal joy at the other´s excitement. Must run. David´s cousin´s have returned from visiting three other homes (from the mother´s side of the family) to see what the Wisemen had left for them there. Now, we are off to all the homes on the father´s side of the family for more surprises. So far for David, two clone lego sets. All is good in the world. My favorite line today was David crying out, ¨one of mine has a BOW on it!¨