I've never known a dog so concerned with being warm and comfortable as Kepler. Granted, he doesn't have a lot of fur or body fat, but he's still a silly, silly dog!

We're all home now and feeling good again, although as it turned out, both Allan and I got sick that night after the photo shoot, which means not a single one of us were spared! We had been planning to visit my parents in Tempe after leaving Payson, but decided to reschedule for a time when the chance of getting them sick was something less than certain. In any case, we're have a quiet day here at home, and while I fold our mountains of trip laundry, Rosalie is figuring out how to fit all the different shapes into this clock puzzle. What a little smartypants!



It's nice to have Kepler back again, too!

Since it's hard to know when we'll all be together again, Tim's mom had the fabulous idea of arranging a family photo shoot out in the beautiful pine forest surrounding Payson. That's one good-looking family if I do say so myself! With the exception of Allan and myself, everyone in this shot has already had the stomach flu this Christmas. I was starting to think I might be spared, but I have to admit I'm not feeling too well right about now. Let's get these pictures over with before disaster strikes!

Here are Grandma and Grandpa Allison and all their grandchildren...

our whole family in red...

and now just the kids...

Jen's lovely family...

Rick's little bunch...

and Jett just because he's too cute. The whole photo shoot literally took less than 45 minutes, including every combination of family members we could come up with. That's good, because I think I'm going to be needing a bathroom in pretty short order!

Here are just a few fun moments from our last full day together here in Payson, including Joseph's milk mustache...

Lindsey, Devon, Benjamin, and Joseph playing Sorry! together...

Rosalie wielding swords...



Rosalie tickling Jett...





Lindsey taking Rosalie everywhere...



and lots of smiles with Aunt Jen! What a wonderful week it has been!

A little later today, here's Joseph already getting good on his hop ball!



One of the biggest miracles of this Christmas is that no one has thrown up all day long! That means it's time for ris a la mande, or Danish rice pudding, an Allison family tradition that normally happens on Christmas Eve, but which we postponed in an effort not to leave any sick people out. Here are Rosalie and Joseph taking their turns stirring the almond into the bowl!



Last but not least, it's time for our Christmas nativity! Joseph will play a wise man and Rosalie a little shepherd.

Here are just a few shots from the performance, including Lindsey and Taylor as Mary and Joseph, Allan as donkey, and Tim as innkeeper...

Jett as Baby Jesus, Devon and Shelley as angels, and the shepherds in red bringing their sheep with them to the stable...

Jonathan as King Herod ordering Benjamin and his fellow wise man to find the Christ Child...

and the curtain call at the end. What a great way to end a lovely Christmas Day!

It's bright and early Christmas morning, and the kids are all up and exploring their stockings! Joseph is so excited about finding a Clementine in inside his, exclaiming "It's an orange!"

I'm not sure who put this Santa hat on him, but he sure does look cute in it!

It didn't take Rosalie long to find her bouncy horse, not that it was particularly well-disguised!

It's pretty obvious from the look on her face that it's a hit!



Here are Joseph and Rosalie both hopping around together now, which maybe isn't as funny as watching all the adults do it, but is fun nonetheless!

Rosalie is reveling in finally being allowed to pull things out of these shiny, mysterious bags...

and is telling us all about the things she finds inside!



Here we are opening a few gifts together...

and giving some big thank-you hugs!

This shot is terribly blurry, but it captures one of my favorite moments of the morning. Tim and I decided to give his dad the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? after he told us how much he loved the movie and its music, despite the fact that Tim's mom couldn't stand it. I love his exultant look here, and the glimpse of Tim's mom to his left looking devastated with her head in her hands! I hope she won't mind too much after all!





We're all having fun opening gifts, but it's really more about being together than about the objects themselves, of course. What a blessing to all be together today!

Now it's time for breakfast! Here's Uncle Allan making the bacon...

and Joseph and Devon helping to light the candles. What a fun Christmas morning it's been!

Grandma Cindy is still determined to get all the stockings done by tonight. Here she is hard at work cutting and sewing...

and here she is a little later with Rosalie's beautiful finished stocking!

Now that the kids are in bed, it's time to have a little fun with their presents! Here's Tim trying out Rosalie's bouncy horse...

which soon devolved into racing with the bouncy horse and Joseph's hop ball. On your marks, get set...

go! It sure would help if I could stop laughing and stay on the ball!

Rounding the final curve, Tim is in the lead...

and he wins the race, which apparently really took it out of both of us!

Now it's time for Tim's mom and Rob to give it a try. Everyone gets a turn tonight!



Back to business now, it's time to frantically stuff the stockings...

get them all lined up...

and admire the beautiful Christmas tree before heading off to bed. What a fun night it's been!