"On Christmas Day in the Morning!"

Thanks to facebook and the like, you're probably all tired of seeing everyone's Christmas pictures.  But as this is my blog and you actually clicked over to it, I can put however many picture I want.  

Lilyanna is at that fun age where Christmas is a magical time of year.  It's been a delight to see her excitement and enthusiasm about this holiday season.  (And sometimes a little exhausting.  Emotions have been running pretty high with all the intensity of her excitement.) 

Our Christmas day was relaxing and low-key.  Last year, we decided that everyone could only give one present to everyone else.  Including me and Todd.  It significantly changed how I thought about and bought for people, but it many ways has made the experience nicer for all of us. 

In past years Lilyanna has been timid about tearing wrapping paper.  NOT SO this year!  She happily tore into her own presents and the presents of anyone else who would let her help them!

Nathaniel holding up some of his haul.  This was the first year he didn't get upset when Todd gave him a pretend present first.  (In the past we've always done socks and underwear and watched him throw a fit.  This year he handled it gracefully, which means we probably won't tease him like that anymore.  So sad.

All things princessy.

Caleb with all 11 of the incarnations of Doctor Who in minifigure form.  Happy day!

The ultimate!  Nathaniel has been begging for Minecraft for years now! I finally gave in for this Christmas.  He was truly surprised and has hugged and thanked me every day since then for this present.

Caleb is ditto with the hugging and thanking on a daily basis thing.

Three Smithly Batmen in their pjs.

What they all did when I said, "Now do a Batman face!"

Merry Christmas from the Smiths!

The Dark Knight

I'm not sure when it happened, really. Todd says almost four years ago. But sometime and somehow I became something of a comic book geek. Not all comics. I'm superhero specific...well, except for the Buffy comics.

A few years ago our friends, Jeanne and Chris, gave the boys a fun game involving Spiderman and Friends. One of my other friends, Mark, who was there and witnessed the gift said, "What? Where's Superman?" I practically snapped in a Z formation as I rolled my eyes and said, "Um, Hello?! Spiderman is Marvel comics. Superman is DC." I almost added "duh, obviously" to my retort. As soon as the words were out of my mouth and Chris started laughing, I realized what had happened. I had become one of those people.

The other night we had some friends over to play Cities and Knights of Catan (which is a whole other level of implied geekiness), and when my friend Heather was explaining where she had bought her new game she said, "You know that comic book store? The Laughing Ogre?" At which point I jumped in and said, "Totally! In fact I need to go so I can get the next of the Season 8 Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books!" She almost smiled as she said, "Um, really?", in an incredulous voice. It's a new kind of weird for me.

I blame it, like most things, on living in a house with all boys. Specifically, boys who really like super heroes. Their father is totally lumped into this, too.

Todd has watched Batman Begins no less than once a month since it came out on DVD two years ago. It is his favorite movie. Possibly ever, at least in the super hero genre. So months ago he informed me that we would be going to see The Dark Knight on opening night. I really liked the last batman movie as well. (Not once a month worth, but still.) He was practically bouncy as we waited for an hour to get into the theater to see it on the Ultrascreen (it's three times the size of a regular movie screen).

Opening nights are fun. I love how all the big fans are there together so you really get the feel of experiencing something as a group. Everybody gasps in surprise at the same parts and laughs aloud at other parts. And people clap at the end...and sometimes in the middle. Oh, and last night many people were wearing their batman shirts and one guy even sported a cape. He was unspeakable amounts of adorable.

The movie was really good. It's dark, and scary, and I am a total wimp, so I had to look away a few times. But it's so well written! With all that scariness, there were so many clever laughable lines. I love Christian Bale and Michael Kean together as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Alfred.

Anyway, after the movie I began telling Todd about all of the differences between the movie and the comics. Because apparently I know things like that now. Which is what prompted the question, "When did I become this person?!"