Merry Christmas!

Chloe with her bag from Santa full of toys
Chloe and Zach out on their first bike ride courtesy of Grumpy & Grammy
Cousin Allie pushing Chole on the pricess car

We had a fantastic Christmas! I love Christmas and am one of those annoying people that have their shopping done weeks in advance and wrapped under the tree the beginning of December. I love everything about Christmas. This year was even more exciting because the older Chloe gets the more she will learn to enjoy Christmas as well.

This year there was lots of talking "to" Santa. Zach and I both had different experience with Santa so we had to decide, along with Santa of course, how Santa was going to deliver gifts to our children. My Santa would pile up a stack of our gifts in nice little piles with our stockings in front so on Christmas morning each of us three girls would know which pile belonged to who. Zach's Santa would spread the presents around the tree and then on Christmas morning they would be handed out to everyone. So because each of us thought the other person's experience was ridiculous we came to a compromise and decided that Santa would put Chloe's gifts in a big Santa bag with her name on it and leave it by the tree. This way the gifts are all stacked nicely in one area like I wanted, but it was something different from what each of us had growing up. Then after Christmas we would "mail" the Santa bag(s) back to the North Pole so Santa would have them next year.

My parents came in town for a bit to have an early Christmas. We celebrated Christmas with them on December 17th and then had a great visit with them after that. We picked dad up from the airport and of course Chloe would not look at him. I don't know what it is about him but she has always been a Little resistant when it comes to my dad. It didn't last long because by the first night he was able to play with her and hold her, which before would take a few days. Chloe had lots of time to play with my parents and her cousins. She liked to ride on a little princess car that cousin Allie had while Allie would push her all over the house. She also learned more of the motions to pat-a-cake as she will throw it in the pan by putting her hands up in the air. She also was getting better at walking. She still has only taken one step at a time without holding on, but her balance has gotten much better when we walk with her and she is down to holding on with one finger. Hopefully she starts walking before this baby comes!

After we had a great visit with my parents it was time for our Christmas. Each year we have done something a little different depending on where we are at and especially since we had to think about Chloe. This year on Christmas Eve we went out for a good lunch and had this amazing strawberry dessert. Chloe even tried to dig into it a little bit. Then we came back put Chloe down for a nap and when we woke her up we opened up gifts from Zach's side of the family as well as my grandparents and aunts and uncles. Chloe wasn't too interested in opening up the gifts, but she did like to see them and if they were hers she wanted to open and play with them immediately. After we had our nice time opening up some of the gifts we went out and looked at Christmas lights. We would say "ooohh" and "ahhhh" and "how pretty" and then Chloe would make noises too and stare out the window. Then Zach passed down a few houses and said that they were grinches because the houses had no lights on them and it was right at that moment that Chloe decided to blow raspberries. It was perfect timing as it was like she was telling the homes that she didn't like them either. After we went around looking at lights we came home and played a little bit then put Chloe to bed. After Chloe was fast asleep we watched Christmas Vacation as you just have to do that on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning we all woke up opened up our gifts from each other and then went to my sister's house and spent some time with them opening more gifts and watching the kids play with their new toys. It was a great Christmas!

As much as I love Christmas and everything that it includes I am also ready to take down the tree and decorations just as quickly. Now it is time to start looking ahead to the new year and the new BABY!