In which I did NOT get to sleep in, not even a little bit.

Our niece, Parker, gets up at five in the morning – greeting the day with a hearty bellow. This causes one parent or the other to bash around the kitchen preparing a bottle; shortly afterward someone’s making pot after pot of coffee and the next thing you know someone’s making hash browns.

Here’s what the tree looked like somewhere in the neighborhood of seven in the morning:

I’d already eaten breakfast by 8:30. That’s IN THE MORNING, people.

Other than only sleeping five hours, we had a great time. The food was yummy, the atmosphere was relaxed and mellow, the presents were wonderful, and Miss Parker’s a lot of fun now that she’s mobile.

When Bread and I got home this afternoon, we did not clean house, take out the trash, put away our gifts, write thank-you notes, or sweep the floors. We promptly took five-hour naps… because we can.