christmastime is here....

We survived the first Christmas in our new home.  While it was a bit harried with changing travel plans and frantic last-minute wrapping, it was a lovely holiday for us.

In my family, we have a tradition that each year, we receive ornaments symbolizing milestones or significant experiences that occurred in the past year.  I remember the year I was confirmed, my parents got me this gorgeous church made entirely of beads that was designed to hang on top of a tree light.  I still have it, and each ornament of mine that I hang each year reminds me of the good and even the not so good things that have defined who I am.

These are our ornaments for this year: 

for anna's baptism....

....for anna's "pretty in pink" birthday party....

....for our new home.

Christmas morning was vastly different than it was last year.  Last year, Anna had zero concept of what was going on, and while I feel certain she still has no clue, she at least had some more definitive reactions to the plethora of "stuff" waiting for her when she came downstairs.

The calm before the storm:

 

 

Opening marshmallows from Grandma Davis:

ENJOYING said marshmallows from Grandma Davis. (please note that it took her a solid fifteen minutes to eat the entire thing, and then she proceeded to just hold the last of the marshmallow in her mouth and suck on it for about a half hour.  The drooling was super awesome -- insert sarcastic tone)

Reading one of her new books from Gam and Pop.

Her super-cool new kitchen (which she's NOT stopped playing with....I have the alphabet soup song permanently embedded in my brain, along with that dern duck-chicken-thing's song), courtesy of Gam and Pop.

.....which will come in handy for all those groceries she's going to buy with the shopping cart from Grandma and Grumpy.

Among the gifts Anna received from Santa, she received TWO new babydolls, along with a stroller to push them around in.  She thought her baby might be thirsty, so she shared her milk with her (I nearly died of an overdose of CUTE).

 

She eventually did become an EXCELLENT helper, tearing tissue and wrapping paper, and she would even walk it over to the trash bag and put it in.  She's such a good housekeeper.  With the vacuum she received from her grandparents......which, I must say (and I don't mean to get off on a rant here, BUT), I find highly insulting because they've had 30 years of experience in what a horrible housekeeper I am, and I take it as a direct slam on me that even my 1-year-old could do a better job.  Just sayin'.

Her new toychest from Santa:

Some of our other "loot":

 

yes, virginia, that is an ice cream maker....with dairy-free recipes.  That 8-pound weight gain I've experienced since breaking my foot could very quickly double, I fear.

 

 

ice cream scoop....a very appropriate accessory and excellent stocking-weigher-downer.

 

 

 okay, this made me CACKLE.  Her Great-Uncle Gary sent her a Target Gift Card.  She scooped up the envelope, took the gift card out, handed it to me, balled up the envelope, walked over to the trash can, opened the lid, and dropped it in.  seriously.  best. housekeeper. ever.

We were so fortunate to have Gam and Pop here for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, and Anna enjoyed LOTS of snuggles from them.

We were sad that they had to leave early, though.  We had a predicted storm that was deemed not likely on Thursday, then highly likely on Saturday.  However, as the weatherman said, "If you have family traveling tomorrow, I'd send 'em home today if I were you." It was probably a good idea for them, though, as we certainly enjoyed a very white day-after-Christmas.

 

 

In the aftermath, it looked like Toys R Us either exploded or threw up in our living room.  I would imagine we'll be digging out of snow AND presents for several weeks to come.  But, it was all certainly worth it, and we and our girl are ALL enjoying playing with our new toys!