Here in Sweden, as most of you know by now, we celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve. This is the day when we get together with loved ones, eat, exchange gifts, eat some more and have a jolly time together. This year was no different really. Well except that Linus has pneumonia, Ava still hasn't completely recovered from her bout of the illness and Agnes also had a fever and a bit under the weather.

Luckily enough, Linus fever that hadn't been budging for 4 days finally let go of its hold last night and delivered us a much improved boy this morning. By much improved I mean he now wanted to eat, even though he couldn't eat very much at a time, and he used his voice, the past few days all I've heard him say has been "water", "I'm very sick" and "need toilet". Not to mention the fact that today he has been awake all day, unlike yesterday when he slept for all but 2 hrs the whole day.

Another big thing leading up to today is that Linus has given all his dummies to Santa. We have been talking about it regularly ever since he agreed that he would, which was around the time that he had a dentist appointment, and the dentist said that it is better for his teeth to not use a dummy. Since we started talking about it he has been extra attached to them. At daycare he would disappear only to be found hiding on his own shoe shelf, behind his clothes, snuggled up with his moose and dummy. He took any opportunity he could to use the dummy and I was really dreading this first week after Christmas, thinking it would be hellish. To my big surprise it has not been, already this past Monday I asked Linus if we should go dummy hunting and wrap them all up ready for Christmas eve, he thought it was a great idea and both Linus and Ava helped to wrangle up all the dummies, which were only really about 4 of them. Then I gave them all to Linus, we found some wrapping paper fit for Santa and then Linus wrapped the dummies up all by himself and did a very fine job I must say. So since Monday night he has been without a dummy and the best of all, he has not asked for them once even! At one point I thought he might as he started with "my dummy..." and I was gearing up to remind him that he had wrapped them up to give away, but he continued... "my dummy, I'm giving to santa's babies, I don't need dummies cos I'm a big boy like Daniel" (Daniel is my sister's partner and a hero to Linus as he is very tall).

Tonight at my sister's place Santa arrived just before 4pm, yes here in Sweden Santa actually comes to your house in person and hands out presents and talk to the children. The first thing Linus did when Santa came was to hand him his beautifully wrapped gift. He was very chuffed and Santa gave him a Lightning McQueen RC car for being such a clever and thoughtful boy for thinking of Santa's children who needed the dummies more than him.

Other than the remote controlled car, Ava and Linus both received lots of nice presents. Linus received Humongasaurus giant hands, a toy truck, mini skateboards as well as bakugans and big toy airplane. Ava received a hairdressing doll, perfect for her as she has been saying for the past months that when she grows up she's going to be a hairdresser, she also received a little Ariel princess, a snow white dress up gown as well as a pair of plastic heels that she had been wishing for since even last Christmas. What she didn't get that she has been wishing for since living in Australia is one of those battery driven microphones that plays a tune and that you can sing along with, but then again her birthday is not even a month away.

The best gift of the day however, it wasn't a gadget, a much wished for toy or something really expensive... It was a gift that Ava had made just for me, an awsome gift at that. She made me a very detailed and beautiful princess out of Hama beads (iron beads). Such an amazing creation.