French renovations, day 4 (Christmas!)

Dio went into the living room at 6:30 am and turned the lights on. What part about "not waking us up until 7:45 am" did he miss?? Our bedroom windows look over the living room so that was it for me. And I slept terribly last night...I haven't had Christmas insomnia for a long time! Reminds me of being a kid :) 

The kids got presents from the grandparents (Canada hoodies from the Freeze side and medical tools from the Spencer side), from people at church (craft/robotic kits), from one of their siblings, and from us (hot water bottles & bikes). 

We watched YouTube videos on how to use our medical diagnostic tools. Thanks Dad for the great idea! And I have a MD brother I can call if we need more help. 

Sibling presents: Ivy gave Dio a watch Inga gave Zari a telescope (super nice used one...way more bang for the buck this way!) Dio gave Inga a really nice set of sketchbooks Zari made Ivy a burgundy velvet cloak (with some sewing help from me!) 

It's funny--after we opened everything but the bikes, the kids assumed we were done. I had a little moment of parental pride because they were totally happy with just a hot water bottle from us, and it didn't occur that there might be anything more! 

We said, "wait, there's one more thing..." We sent them on a treasure hunt that ended in the communist apartment. 

We went on bike ride in the late morning and early afternoon. We saw rain in the forecast so we didn't want to miss our window of opportunity. You can see ominous gray clouds building up in the hills behind Nice. 

During dinner, we had a glorious hailstorm with thunder and lightning. Zari said, "I guess it's a white Christmas after all." 

I made Beef Wellington for the first time (with crêpes inside the puff pastry, just in case) and it was amazing. The kids were moaning with delight. Along with the main dish, we ate browned butter mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, & tiramisu. My goal tomorrow is to eat only leftovers. No cooking!