Merry Christmas!

Oliver got sick a week before Christmas. Really sick. Sicker than any of our kids have ever been. His breathing got bad, he started coughing, and he spiked a fever that lasted for days. At one point, his fever reached 103.5 degrees under the arm, he was breathing really fast, and he sounded like Darth Vader. We considered taking him to the hospital, but living with a doctor has its advantages. It was still rough though: we didn't sleep much and had to force lots of medicine into him. 

On Christmas Eve, we went for a little hike. It hit a record 70 degrees, so we had to take advantage of the nice weather. We hiked and played around a pond in the Fells while Scott went for a trail run.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The kids got up right at 6 a.m. and got right down to business. Oliver got a basketball hoop and a scooter.

He has been stealing other kids' scooters at the playground for months, so now he has his own. He already flies around on it. Phoebe got a skateboard and is quickly learning to glide.

Bruce got a Raspberry Pi computer for Christmas. He set it up and is learning to program it. He has big plans.

After presents were opened and things were cleaned up a bit, we had our neighbors and a friend over for brunch. The weather was quite lovely so we headed to the park for some play time.

Some of our neighbors were out of town so we did some cat-sitting. Phoebe loved petting the cats, feeding them treats, and generally feeling responsible. She wanted nothing to do with the litter box, of course, so I still don't think we are ready for a pet.

We are happy to borrow other people's pets though. Scott took Bruce and Phoebe to see the new Star Wars movie that afternoon, so Oliver and I hung out at the park and played with one of our favorite neighborhood dogs. His name is Boston and he is the most well-behaved playful dog. Oliver and Boston played fetch for an hour.