After a very fun evening at our Christmas Eve Party, where you ran around for hours...you slept late today! In fact, I went in and woke you up!
Your Daddy stayed up late last night putting together your "Serving Surprises Kitchen"...I was excited about it because y'all have been pretending so much more lately.
We took our time and let you enjoy that for a while.....then, we enjoyed y'all pulling things out of your stockings. This was the first year you were able to do that, really....so it was fun for me to think of things to put in there that you would like. One thing was a small Snoopy for each of you...you have fallen in love with Snoopy after watching "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"....when you're watching that, and you see Snoopy dancing or flying on top of his doghouse, your face lights up and you seem like you're seeing an old friend. You got your first Pez dispenser today, too.
Then, we let you open one gift each....a tea set for two with a 'magic' teapot...and a map learning interactive thing that looks like it may be for older kids....but it is pretty neat! There are still a few gifts to open, but your Daddy and I both are seriously hoping to keep you shielded from the trappings of an overwhelming, materialistic Christmas. It is amazing how difficult that is....and how much it seems that you're swimming against the current......and how incredibly easy it would be to go down the path of buying you so much more than we did.
Next, you got a much needed bath and we all got ready to go to Granddaddy's for lunch. We Skyped with Aunt Ginger while you were in the bath!
We hung out at Grandaddy's and helped set up for lunch...
Lunch was delicious....and much anticipated, let me tell you!
and then came gift time. Now, even though your Grandaddy would prefer a very simple Christmas gift exchange....for some reason, we can't figure out how to get there....and it is totally overwhelming ... and every year, we all look at each other like, "What do we do...?" Last year, we did take a step in the right direction ... we drew names and it was a much easier shopping season. But when you have grand children and great grand children all in the same room, it is bound to get overwhelming, I'm guessing, in most families.
During this time of a million presents being opened, I was so proud of y'all because you did not care one single bit about all the gifts being opened.....you were picking up paper and putting it in trash bags....looking outside at the puppy dog....and not one bit of "where's my present" crept up among either of you. There was quite a bit of time that passed before a gift with either of your names was passed to you and you were content to play with "Darla" the puppy dog on the back porch, just beyond the gift exchange.
We came back home ... we all took naps....that was glorious!
When you got up, we ate supper...played with new toys....and then I popped lots of popcorn and we watched Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer snuggled under a blanket.
When we tucked you into bed, it was one of the sweetest times of the whole day. Molly, you like to recap you day during that time of being tucked in....you said, "Santa...basket" which meant that you were remembering seeing Santa Claus at the Christmas Eve Party when he gave you a candy cane from his basket. And you also like to name everybody you saw that day...."Baylay, Taycee, Emillie"...and you keep naming them.
Trying to figure out what you are both trying to tell me is one of my favorite things to do.....I adore that you speak in choppy thoughts .... using only the important words!
Your Daddy and I have experienced more joy than can be put into words since you girls came into our lives. Even though materially speaking, we don't have all that I wish we did, especially for your future...I feel so blessed ... despite the dysfunctional stuff that (I pray) happens in every family....so many times, I feel like I'm in a Norman Rockwell scene. I will be sad to see the innocence and lack of expectation go as you grow older. But, I savor the moments that you give me....you absolutely make me the happiest Mommy. I love you so very much. Merry Christmas!!
