Merry Christmas!

Christmas finally arrived at the White House! We got off to a great start - Emily loved all of Santa's offerings, especially the Dora bicycle she's been hoping she would get. She especially loved all of the "free" presents - things she didn't ask for but which were delivered anyway, probably because she's been so good this year. I love this explanation -she came up with it herself. She believes that Santa really only brings one gift...a notion which I'm loath to contradict. At any rate, Santa hit a home run this year. She had to open all of her gifts wearing her new Dora Snuggie. Actually, it's a "wrappie," but who's looking? We had a wonderful lunch with the rest of the White clan, including Aunt Betty. CiCi came along a little later due to Great Grandmother taking a tumble out of bed early on Christmas morning but she still arrived in time to see Emily tear into more gifts. Later in the evening, we traveled to Nanny's for leftovers, Uno, and a little homemade wine. Then we carted everything we had accumulated along the way back home to the White House only to discover that we had left leopard cub at Mim and Papa's. Oh the weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth! Bedtime couldn't come soon enough on Christmas night - Emily was overtired, overexcited, and overstimulated! Wait, or was that Mommy and Daddy? Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

He came!

Death grip on the leopard cub

Rocking the Snuggie. It's like a fleecy straightjacket.

She mentioned that Santa was an excellent wrapper.

He ate our snacks! Those rice krispy treats were yummy - I made them myself! FYI - Jan Brett's Night Before Christmas is the most beautifully illustrated one I've ever seen. Take a peek at it sometime. All of her books are wonderful.

She loved the polar bear Coke she found in her stocking.

Run, run, as fast as you can! Gingerbread always seems like a good idea, but it actually tastes pretty funky to me. She bit the head off of this guy and then told me I could have the rest.

Her gifts to us

Loves to play hopscotch on her new rug

Possibly inappropriate, but so classic Emily that it had to be included.

Shooting some hoops with Uncle David

Loving on Aunt Betty. She always brings a bag of goodies to any family gathering. She brought Emily a bag of costume jewelry this year. Poor Emily - she doesn't stand a chance getting between me and Betty's jewelry. I already have my eye on half of it!

She served us some tea at lunch with a new tea set from Baby Jace.

Playing a little Wii while Betty looks on

T.C. takes a timeout from the madness

I love Aunt Betty! If Donald is ever unkind to me, I'm moving to Decatur to live with her.

Couldn't get Emi to make a straight face for a group shot

Doing a little boxing on the day after Christmas. Wait...it's Boxing Day! Get it???

Hope your day was wonderful!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a busy day for the White House. We spent the day running last minute errands and tidying up the house for company in the evening. Cici and David went to the Christmas Eve service at our church (Santa Don was out performing his seasonal duties - it is his biggest night of the year, you know!). Emily had never done communion "rip and dip" style and had a large bread snack at the altar after she tore off half the loaf of bread for herself. Good thing they had plenty to go around! We traveled back home to meet Nanny, Mimi, Papa, Abby, and Amy for Chinese takeout at the White House and to open a few gifts together. Too quickly, we had to bundle everyone off home in the cold so that we could sprinkle some reindeer food (two years running in the rain!) and put out a snack for Santa. Emily chose her favorite - Yoohoo - for his drink. She thought he might enjoy something different when he stopped at our house. Then we ran upstairs to snuggle down for a long's night sleep so that the big guy could make a stop by our house. Donald and I then watched Ralphie's Christmas Story two and a half times (thanks TBS!) before we could go to bed ourselves. I hope everyone ended up on the good list this year!

Sparkly shoes!

Making snow angels - minus the snow.

Lost the shoes the minute she walked in the door from church!

What could it be?

This leopard cub caused much dissent at bedtime on Christmas night. We accidentally left him at Mimi and Papa's and she swore she couldn't sleep without him. It took lots of persuading to convince her that she indeed could sleep without him and that I was not going to drive to Palmetto to get him at 11:00. She was overjoyed when he was returned to us the next day!

Watching Dad sprinkle the reindeer food. She's wearing matching pajamas only because I made her wear them.

Hope Santa remembers to shake his Yoohoo!

Cat in the Manger

Have you ever read the story of the cat in the manger? It supposedly explains why tabby cats have an M-shaped design on their foreheads. We discovered T.C. hanging out with the holy family this week and snapped this fun picture. That's Emily's "fairy" lying on her side to the left. If you've never read the legend of the tabby cat, follow the link below!

http://www.poofcat.com/pet13.html

Christmas Crafts

Abby, Emily, and I got together for a night of crazy Christmas crafting. We combined all of our old broken crayons, melted them down, and made new crayons in Christmas shapes. Forget that expensive Crayola machine they're selling right now...all you need are some silicone ice cube trays! We had a fun time and the girls enjoyed making their own designer crayons. The problem is that they're too cute to actually use!

Peek a boo!

Of course, she's wearing her "mix match" pajamas. She likes to shake things up a bit in the pajama department. Nanny wouldn't like to see them buttoned up around her neck that way, though.

Finished snowmen!

And Christmas trees, too!

Christmas Program

Emily's Christmas program at school was such a treat! The combined classes did a great job performing for a sanctuary full of friends and family. Emily, after overcoming a terrible fear of music class at the beginning of the year (apparently she didn't like the white walls in there - or so she says!), did a great job during her part. She spread out a blanket and cuddled under the Christmas tree with several other girls. She has been practicing this part forever - she loves to make beds in random places all over the house for her babies. We enjoyed a delicious lunch afterwards with Mim, Papa, Granddaddy, and Cici before having to jet back to work. Always love to see our little girl singing and dancing!

Trip to Rhodes Hall

This year we took a trip to Rhodes Hall to see Santa Don and have our picture taken. What a beautiful place! We had a great time seeing the beautiful house (although it seems strange to call it that - it's so huge!), making crafts, hearing stories, and having some snacks with new friends. Later we went to the "Noodle Factory" (that's Emily-speak for Spaghetti Factory) and indulged in a major carb overload with Cici and Granddaddy. This was a terrific way to see Santa and have some fun, as well. No waiting in line and lots of fun things to do before and after the picture session. I highly recommend it! You can keep track of Santa Don's comings and goings on www.santainatlanta.com. Merry Christmas!

Trip to the Park

On our last "Mommy and Daddy Day" (that's Emily-speak for holiday) we took a picnic trip to the Castle Park for some fun in the sun. Actually, it was fairly cool but fun all the same! Emily is quite the monkey and has gotten good at climbing and dangling. She tells everyone that she's going to be an acrobat when she grows up. Who knows? Maybe these trips to the circus and the park have been formative experiences. Only time will tell!

Time to go!