Feels Like LO's First Christmas

Well, it was a great Christmas. The three of us had a quiet morning that started at LO's usual wake up time of about 7:30. We wonder if this will be the last time we are allowed to sleep the late for several years or if we'll get a reprieve for one more year. LO, of course, had no idea it was Christmas or what that meant, so we were able to have a leisurely breakfast of buckwheat pancakes make by DH. We enjoyed great Christmas music by James Taylor, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby to name a few. We managed to be dressed with our teeth brushed by the time Grams, Gramps, and Aunt Cat arrive near 10 am. Here's our morning in pictures:

Good Morning, Mama and Dada...did you say it's Christmas?

Christmas morning bed heads (mine's behind the camera!)

We had some neat decorations this year that were sent by my Dad and Lah-oo. They weren't here in person, but the house wouldn't have felt like Christmas without their thoughtful gift.

Our Charlie Brown tree would not have held our usual decorations, but they sent some that were handmade of paper (red, silver, and gold star garlands) that were perfect.

I set the table while LO kept the look out for Grams, Gramps, and Aunt Cat.

Watching for Grams, Gramps, and Aunt Cat,

and playing in the curtain while we wait.

Grams made it,

so did Gramps (and Aunt Cat...not that she's in any of the pics!)

Mama, everyone's here and the house is ready, can we stop these pictures and check out those stockings?

Actually, LO had been eyeing his stocking all week, it was hung high on a bookshelf with polka-dotted tissue paper sticking out of the top. When it came time to open the tissue paper, LO suddenly seemed less interested. It took about 10 minutes before he realized there were toys in his stocking. Then, when he got these bath toys form Aunt Liz, we almost couldn't get him to move on to the other gifts!

Finally sticking his arm in the stocking...what's inside?

Boon bath toy from Aunt Liz.

After he figured out the stockings, we had to entice him to unwrap the gifts. Suddenly, he was only interested in the very few gifts in the room that weren't his!

Dada, can I help you open this gift? It's from me and Mama.

This gift was from him to me (thanks Grams!); a beautiful metallic brown beaded necklace

Finally, some interest in his gifts. Oooh Mama, I like this bow...

but I'd rather play with this toy and the pretty bag some more.

Mama, I like these balls from Grandpa. Let's throw them!

Mama, just because Aunt Cat says "put the bow on his head," doesn't mean you have to! I'd rather play with my new toy bottles you gave me.

We got big smiles when LO played his new drum for the first time. It was from Toona and Gido.

they gave LO this piano and a ball tower too. It was a very musical day.

This neat latches puzzle was from Aunt Cat along with some other puzzles.

That's a HUGE green frog filled with more Boon bath toys from Grams and Gramps. "I can't wait to try those out mom! Can this froggy be another push toy?"

LO got several other great gifts including the Lots o Hugs talking bear from Toy Story3 and some new books. He has to grow into some of these, so they're in hiding. ; ) Finally, DH and I rolled out or big gift for LO. It was DH's idea, though I found the specific gift. Truly a joint effort. We think it was a hit...

Oh yeah, DH and I got a couple of gifts too.

DH in his new peacoat...I think he's saying how much he likes it. Isn't it handsome on him?

My new golashes

With all that gift opening and family time, we missed LO's morning snack.

We fed him a quick festive (see how green?) lunch and scooted him off to nap. Who were we kidding? He slept 25 minutes. So we had our Christmas cry out, then all proceeded to pull out every trick in the book to keep His Crankiness entertained through the afternoon.

Your still loved your new drum after your "nap"

Grams treated us to a great Christmas spread. LO ate squash, greens, sweet potato, green pea salad, and part of a yeast roll. I dare say the yeast roll was his favorite. He screamed until I gave him another piece every time. We'll have to work on a more refined palate in the coming years. (Though the yeast rolls are yummy) Our visitors had to hit the road right after dinner...it was supposed to start snowing at their house!

After they left we carted LO straight to his bath and to his earliest bed time ever...6:20. He was out like a light.

When we all woke the next morning...

It was snowing!

We never have snow here, but it's snowed twice since LO was born. We almost had a white Christmas! It was an excellent Christmas, we hope you had a great one too.