Round one.

Surprisingly, I took few photos on Christmas Day. I don't think I was prepared for the frenzy. Last year, Alla wanted to open, then play, open, then play. I thought there were too many gifts to open in one setting. But Mama was wrong. She got through them in record time, asking for another and another. Unbelievable.

Santa was good to this little girl. Left her a note and everything, explaining that Rudolph had made a big mess of his carrots, which then caused Alla to immediately stop reading, go get the mini-sweeper, and start cleaning up. A girl after my own heart. Soon after, she spied the gifts downstairs and wanted to go see. Minutes later, she had gotten everyone awake and we were all opening gifts!

Like I said, the opening went by so quickly with paper and itty bitty pieces of kitchen food everywhere, that I spent more time trying to make sure that no gem was mixed up in the garbage than I did snapping away. But what I looked forward to most of all were her Santa gifts, and so there's that. A big girl bed.

And, hidden underneath her new big girl quilt, a blue camera all her own. Ah, the magic.