Christmas

I thought I would recount Christmas before I forgot all of the details. Let me just say, it was a wonderful time and we received fabulous gifts that we are all very thankful for. Emma and Mary got some beautiful clothes that I have already put them in. They were cute beyond reason and Mary initiated a couple of outfits by spitting up or getting baby cereal on them. Emma received some great toys, which included a sit and spin (we haven't tried that out yet) and peek a boo blocks, which she loves. She also got a potty training doll from Santa, and her and I spend a lot of time feeding Dolly and helping her use the potty. Mary received some great plush toys, including a Ladybug plush book, which she finds very tasty and entertaining. Both girls got soft suitcases that say "Going to Grandma's" on them along with their names. Emma will get to use hers later this week. Christmas morning was fun to a new degree, since Emma was excited by all of the things Santa left her. She said "oooooooo" and "What's that?" and ran from toy to toy. Santa seemed to bring a lot of the things she got the night before, but she didn't care. Santa also didn't wrap her gifts, so Emma could see right away what the cool toys were. On Christmas Eve we visited Aunt Karen and Uncle Rob's house and Emma enjoyed playing with Bobby and Bella. She really liked trying out their beds with their new fancy Buzz Lightyear and Hello Kitty bedding. Mary got a lot of Aunt Karen time!

We then trekked over to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lisa's, where a grand dinner for 25 or so people was going on. What chaos! The food was incredible and the people were a lot of fun. By the time we got to gift giving, my dear Emma was turning into a pumpkin a la Cinderella's coach and Mary was stressed out from not napping. Emma opened gifts, while cousin Katelyn tried to pry them away from her, using dubious toddler methods of hair pulling. We packed up the kids and any remaining unopened gifts and headed home. After the kids were in bed, Jim and I got to open our gifts from the family. Jim got a new meat thermometer (remote!) and more camera memory. I got a scale and a hand held vacuum cleaner. We were so excited about these gifts! Yes, it is true, we asked for home appliances for gifts. But when you need a hand held vacuum, what better thing then to receive it as a gift? I also got a Xyron machine for my crafting and a stamp pad organizer as well as many other wonderful presents. We were all so pleased and happy about the holiday.