Christmas Eve with Maeve and Maura

The best thing about having friends with kids at exactly the same age as your own is the have all the right gear. So Anders occupied -- or chilled out in -- Maura's Johnny Jump-up while Maura hung out in her Exersaucer (somehow I didn't get a picture of it though, which is sad because it was really cute).

Ellis and Maeve played beautifully together, as always...

Then baked cookies for Santa.

Unfortunately, it was a later night than we had hoped.  Anders didn't get to sleep until 8:30 (and he was tired at 7:00).  With Anders, a late bedtime means a rocky night of sleep, and he woke up 3 times, though I only responded once. 

Ellis wasn't asleep until 9:00.  Before Ellis went to sleep, we told her that it would be Christmas when she woke up.  We read "The Night Before Christmas," and then visions of sugar plums danced in her head all night (I imagine).