Barondeau Family Christmas

Christmas at the Barondeau home centered on kids, crayons, food, and drink this year, not unlike most years actually. Our nieces are getting SO BIG! They will be two years old just around the corner, in January, and specialize in funny faces and sharing. (And by "sharing", I mean that each girl must have the exact same item, article, and/or activity that her sister has, although they do enjoy being in each other's constant company.) Here are a few highlights:

Making/eating cookies with the grandparents.

The Barondeaus like to liven things up with wine and spirits and all things caffeinated, so holidays usually look like this...

...but sometimes we are tired and then holidays look like this.

Regardless, the newest batch of Barondeaus is well on track to continue our holiday traditions.

(FYI, the girls were uber-supervised and drinking - mostly - water, so it's not as dangerous as it looks here.)

  

So good! Until you take their drinks away.

OK, quick preface for this series: One of the girls had a brief cough, so her sister lovingly patted her on the back. The immediate attention she received from an adoring audience was enough to convince the other sister that she, too, had a cough that required a helpful pat on the back. And before you knew it, both sisters were (fake) coughing and simultaneously (fake) patting each other on the back. This went on for some time, and I can still hardly stand how ridiculously cute it was.

We're both fake coughing here.

 I love how this photo captures the chaos of Christmas, and this scene really wasn't too bad yet.

Yummm...coffee beans for grandpa!

And a decorated oven mitt for grandma.

TJ decided to skip all the festivities and catch a nap behind the chair.

The first gift of Crown, South Dakota's official beverage.

And I got my little blue bear, a gift from Tyler and Courtney in Colorado.

This scene is probably getting closer to the real chaos of Christmas. 

That squeaky toy is not going to last long.

The girls made it though a looong day of Christmas and survived to take a few box pictures. (They both climbed into the leftover box, unprompted.) But you can see it in their eyes - it's time for bed.