Chicago Christmas

In the spirit of Christmas never ending.  I hope I'm joking, but these posts may take us straight into February.  I have to record the adorable Hsieh love captured this year.  The cousins were full drama overlaid with pure joy.  It is a fair amount of work to keep up with them but their unconditional acceptance and ability to pick up exactly where they left off is something to behold.  As I think about my own cousin summers I have to wonder if it's just the nature of the relationship.  But I'll take it and smile every time I see them embrace each other.

Yeh Yeh pretty much beamed the entire week

 twins

 sillies

 raving with the preschool set

 they all got in on the action

 after gifts of Kindles and iPads, this is what their bonding looked like

 one of our stranger traditions, the night before Christmas in unrelated costumes

 little toes

 These two are partners in crime and frequently disappeared on mostly innocent missions...except the one involving squished chocolate eclairs on the carpet, "it's a game called rats and we have to store food for winter!"

 secrets

 Christmas morning love

 happy-tired mama

 chicago boys

 Build-a-bear shopping spree with Boda and Cinna's

 Nai Nai with her girls

 Watching the ball drop at the Chinese Christian Church New Years party.  Sometimes B and I look at each other with a look that says so many things.  How did we end up here playing Boggle with strangers, and singing As The Deer in Chinese, while our children climb under pews?  Oh life.  You are so unpredictable.  

I wouldn't trade these faces for anything