Getting back into the domestic swing of things is apparently very taxing for the kids! You'd think that somewhere in all those Parents magazines and What to Expect books, they would have mentioned somewhere that children seem to thrive on routine.
Anyhow, the day was one of contrasts. Vivi mostly just puttered around, tired from the trip and weepy from teething. She did okay, all things considered, and if anything was even more kissy than usual. Julia had an insane meltdown in late afternoon as we tried to get ready to go out for a trike ride and then intermittently throughout the ride - about 90 minutes o' suffering, all together.
Bookending that horror, though, she also had two incredible sessions of make-believe play, including a two-hour tea party for the Pooh friends (I was Pooh or Tigger, she was Rabbit) in the morning and, after dinner and seeing Shannon's Christmas decorating, a good half-hour of putting small toys out as her own Christmas decorations. Here are the visual aftermaths of all this serious play (click through to Flickr for annotated versions):
