A Merry Christmas!

This year it was just the three of us, at home, in EBB.  I had previously made arrangements with buddies of ours to spend Christmas out somewhere but those plans changed several times as we didn't know if we'd be moving or not, and Tanya went home for Christmas. This is the second or third Christmas I've spent in EBB- usually we go somewhere else in UG- and let me say, I love EBB Christmases!

Christmas Eve it rained ALL morning until about 1pm, so we just hung out watching movies together :) Very laid back and cozy! After it stopped raining we went to the market, slogged through the mud and bought our usual veggies and fruits, bought our Pack food (chicken mash!), then came home and enjoyed our Pack, kittens and trampoline in the drier weather. For dinner we went out for pizza, came home, opened gifts (new pj's and movies from Granny!), bathed and watched Little Rascals.

New jammies! Ella's has fighting chipmunks and says "Free Spirit" - which translated into H means, "Crazy as hell!" Very fitting for our little L :) 

Christmas gifts

Christmas morning dawned bright and cheery, we got Granny and Grandpa on Skype, and the kids proceeded to dig into their presents! Poor me, I only had one small gift to open - because I'd opened all my others before hand!! Ha ha, do I ever like being an adult sometimes :) 

Christmas gifts unveiled

Granny and Grandpa joined us, via Skype and web cams!

Carnage

  

Even the kittens got in on the action!

Rowdy liked playing with the kitten IN the box!

The younguns played with their toys (moon dough!) until it was time to go to church and we got all gussied up. I must say, you have never experienced Christmas until you've done so at our church! It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E!!!! The entire service was a drama, actually written by someone in our church. I remember being in EBB two years ago and being blown away then by the Christmas service - it was even better this time! Ugandans have a distinct advantage over Westerners because their culture is much more similar to middle eastern culture, so these dramas are far more natural. And plus, Ugandans are just naturally good looking people and are cool :) Poor old Frankie got overcome by his cold about half way through the service - his nose had started running in the morning and during the service his eyes started weeping too :( Poor boy! Plus the fact that he got stuck behind a lady in a big blond wig. The little tyke had a hard time seeing through his weeping eyes and past the big blond wig!

This is what happens when you're on the naughty list :( Yep, poor Billy had to spend his FIRST CHRISTMAS, which should have been REALLY SPECIAL, outside. Banished. All because of his tendency to steal toys and eat them!

"PLEASE!!! Have a little MERCY!!!" Not to worry though - he later got to help clean up moon dough from the floor. Wonder what his poops are going to look like tomorrow!

All gussied up for church!

After church we went out to eat (gift to myself!) buffet style, at a place we never go. It was a fun experience as well! This is the place that urban Ugandans, who don't go to the village for Christmas and don't feel like busting their butts cooking all day, head to for Christmas dinner. Fortunately we got there early before the crowds really started so we could easily find a table. The food was great and the ambiance was awesome - think a large, unfinished concrete hotel, a few tacky Christmas decorations here and there and FUNKY FUNKY loud music, with a butt load of happily eating families, dressed to the nines! The thing about this place that cracks me up is this is really the place to go! Watching Frankie stuff himself with chicken was fun too :) I was glad that the food could perk him up!

 

We came home, Ella played and Frankie and I took naps - Frankie slept for almost three hours! Poor little guy - sucks to get a cold on Christmas :( The evening was beautiful and since the kids got basketball/soccer/sporting outfits from their Granny, we headed to a nearby basketball court with our soccer ball and the Pack (Um, yeah, that's a first. Basketball? For the H's?). We didn't get far before realizing that everyone and their Uncle was out and weaving through so many people with five dogs wasn't going to be the funnest thing to do. So, get this, we took the Pack home and proceeded on without them! Say what? A Pack Walk without the Pack?!!!! Oh my!!  

Ha ha! Are we confused or what? Chasing a soccer ball on a basketball court! 

We were the only ones on the basketball court and had a lot of fun. I was actually glad that we didn't have any of the Pack so that I could concentrate on just playing with the kids. What a hoot - the kids in their sporty new clothes, bouncing a soccer ball around, with their short, plump mother who has not an OUNCE of basketball playing skills in her whole entire frumpy body! We enjoy watching guys playing every evening when we walk our Pack, so pretended to be them. I always get a kick out of the kids commentary when we watch people playing - they describe people by the color of their shorts :). There are Red Guys, Black Guys, Yellow Guys, etc. It's also usually a big deal if we see a "fat" guy. That may sound mean, but it's not. Like good little Ugandans, my kids LOVE fat. Especially big, chubby black men! It is the funniest thing! So I was "The Fat Guy" (because the fat guys are always the coolest), Ella was "The Blue Guy With Pee On His Pants" (She had a little misfire during some Montana Pee Time behind a bush) and Frankie was "The Short Green Coach". I was a bit surprised that Ella could actually make baskets! I think I was about 25 before I could do that...

What a great day with my tots :) Merry Christmas, everyone!