Our Very Merry Christmas 2011

Dear Em,
We had such a beautiful Christmas day, just the three of us, before spending the rest of our winter vacation celebrating with the most amazing (& most generous) family.

You didn't wake up until almost 8, which was fine by Santa's helpers who had been up late the night before. We brought you into our bed & snuggled while we watched Sprout. Caillou was on, & for once I didn't mind his whiney voice. It was Christmas & you were so happy to watch one of your favorite shows while we were "comfy cozy" all together. After a little bit, Daddy went downstairs. When he came back, he brought us the yummiest blueberry pancakes in bed. You looked like a cute little blueberry monster by the end.

When our bellies were completely full, it was time to go downstairs. Last year we video taped you as you went downstairs & got your first glimpse of the full stockings & tree with presents under it. It's such a cherished video that we made sure to do one this year too. Daddy stood at the bottom of the stairs & captured each moment as you bounced down the stairs & ooo'ed & ahhhhh'ed over the Christmas scene in our living room. You actually ran straight to the nativity that you had opened the night before & said, "oh, hi Baby Jesus." I loved seeing the joy & excitement in your eyes, & I love that I can relive it again & again when I watch the sweet video.

You & Daddy looked at the plate you had left the night before full of cookies for Santa & a carrot for Rudolph & saw that only crumbs remained. Then Daddy read you the note that Santa left.

To my complete surprise, instead of tearing open every present in a frenzy, you opened each gift & wanted to play before going on to the next. This is how I hoped to open presents for Christmas, but I also understood you were on the brink of 2-year-old-hood. As patience doesn't come easy to you, it made me so happy to see you spend time with each gift that we had thoughtfully picked for you before moving on to the next. Because of this, we opened presents all day & night long, taking frequent intermissions for play & naps & food.

I think your daddy's favorite part of the day was when we watched Lion King together as a family. It was Daddy's favorite Disney movie growing up, & he was excited that Santa had left it for you in your stocking. We both didn't know if it would hold your attention. To our surprise, you loved it & now it's one of your favorites. We also watched Robots, & that has become one of your favorites too. It's so nice that we can watch whole movies with you now.

 Some of your favorite things that day were feeding the cats the treats from their stockings, taking your new Rapunzel for a ride on your plasma car (which you called your airplane), reading books, & bouncing on Mommy's new yoga ball. It's possible that my yoga ball was your favorite gift of the day.

 We had Thai take-out for dinner. It was perfect. No mess. No stress. So yummy. After dinner we continued to open presents, read books, watch movies, & snuggle until your bed time. It was my favorite Christmas yet. Every smile on your face, every ooo, every giggle, every sparkle in your eyes, every hug, every kiss...made this Christmas the best Christmas ever. Daddy agreed.

Thank you for such a special special day.

I love you so,
Mommy