A Merry Little Christmas

Today was a day like no other I have ever had. It was Christmas, and for me, that has always meant insanity - of the best and most delightful kind - from opening your eyes in the morning to laying your head down at night. I come from a big family, and we all get together at Granny's house in Illinois on Christmas Day -- until this year. I honestly wasn't disappointed when we decided to move our big family Christmas to the day after Christmas. I just didn't know what to expect of a day at home by ourselves on Christmas. I was fully prepared to be bored, and I warned Erick not to take it personally.

Fortunately, I had grossly underestimated the entertainment of watching a toddler enjoy each and every new Christmas present and activity with unbridled joy.

Christmas Eve was spent exchanging gifts and eating wonderful treats with Grandmary.
We had to move the party back to our house in the middle of the day because Sophia started running a little fever and had a very bad cough. After playing quietly at the sink with a new little teapot, she was up and running for a fun evening. Before bed, we put a brownie and milk out for Santa Claus. Sophia poured the milk all by herself and was very excited by the prospect of Santa's visit.
When we went to the tree in the morning, Sophia was so pleased to find just what she had asked Santa Claus for (with some direction) under the tree. A dollhouse, horse trailer and, most importantly, a school bus. She couldn't have been happier!
With each stocking stuffer she pulled out from us, she would think it was over. When we told her there was more, she turned to us with, "Oh thank you, guys!" It really doesn't get any sweeter.
Her favorite present from us was her horse, and she promptly told us his name was Simba. They were good friends, and she pushed him around the house throughout the day to wrestle, ride and feed him.

In the afternoon, we took her to see Bolt in the theater. The experience wasn't quite as seamless as her first movie. We were still surprised to make it through the whole film, considering she still has a nasty cough.

So, we ate, sang, danced, napped, read, played, and did it all again. It was relaxing and enjoyable. I could definitely see myself enjoying another little Christmas again! Now, tomorrow off to join the madness that is my family!!

Merry Christmas

Favorite.Clip

Elf.is.my.favorite.Christmas.movie.of.all.time.This.is.only.one.of.my.favorite.scenes.
I.think.Zoe.Descanel.has.a.beautiful.voice.I.have.tried.to.find.more.of.her.music.
Enjoy.

Our Vandyke Christmas

This weekend was our Christmas celebration with my parents. When we got there on Saturday, we headed straight for Silver Dollar City. It is one of my very favorite Christmas activities. When I was in college in Branson, Erick and I spent a lot of time there because it was about the only thing to do in the area.

By the time we arrived, Sophia had slept all of 35 minutes, only to be rudely awakened to a changing of clothes and diaper. Needless to say, she was not feeling very much Christmas cheer. The distance between the van and the first time we could buy a candy cane felt like an eternity! Then all was well.

We hadn't walked very far when I became very grateful for the snowpants I brought along for Sophia. The windchill was 12 degrees, and it did us in pretty quickly.

This is my favorite picture of the Christmas season so far. To say that Sophia enjoyed Silver Dollar City in spite of the temperatures is a vast understatement. We managed to get onto the train with no wait and the entire ride, she bounced and clapped with the music. As we walked along in the City, Sophia just had the look of perfect happiness, and she would frequently try to make eye contact and say "Merry Christmas!" to passers by.

In the morning, we had presents and food. We were all pleased with our haul, and Ah! the food! My dad loves to experiment with a Breakfast Cookbook they recently purchased. Our yumminess of the day included some cheesy sausage biscuits that reminded us of the biscuits from Red Lobster. Delicious. Those were Erick's favorite. Mine was the little bit of heaven that was blueberry French toast bake thingy. Wow. Cream cheese, cubes of French bread, egg, butter, ah. It was so very, very delicious. The picture doesn't do it justice, but maybe my description did. Is your mouth watering?

The best gift of the day goes to my parents for this Bass Pro tent for Sophia. As soon as dad and Erick were able to set it up, she picked up Lulu and Sam the Dog saying, "Let's go hide, Friends." The rest of the morning was spent in and out of the tent, asking nicely for each of us to take our turn in there with her, which we did. It's currently in the corner of our living room. It takes up a lot of space, but it is definitely worth it. Plus, it's easy to take down if we have company without kids.

Anyway, it was the perfect start for Christmas week. Sophia was in fine form, so there are far too many stories to share. I'll try to keep them in mind for a slow news week. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas week!

Note.to.Self

Apparently.the.amount.of.time.it.takes.me.to.shower.is.the.amount.of.time.necessary.to.disassemble.a.hard.boiled.egg.on.my.comforter.Learned.this.the.hard.way.I.think.it.was.the.shaving.of.the.legs.that.pushed.it.over.

Oh.yeah.note.continued.Buy.a.new.keyboard.

Playing and Praying

When Erick gets home in the evening, we have a pretty enjoyable routine. We eat some supper (at home if we're behaving), then we do some sort of family activity. A lot of times, Sophia chooses this time of day to play in her playroom. It isn't a room that we spend a lot of time in during the day for some reason. I suppose it's because I'm cooking or cleaning, and she still doesn't really want to be by herself that much. Anyway, that's what we do.

Here is Sophia cuddling with her daddy and pretending to sleep.

A blur playing with a big pink ball.
We play, then Sophia watches five minutes of TV while she gets her pulmicort breathing treatment. Since she had been having so much trouble sleeping last week, we started praying together as a family just before Erick takes her upstairs. It seemed to help a couple of nights, and then she just really seemed to enjoy it. After one particularly difficult day last week, she and Erick were talking before bed. He asked what her favorite part of the day was and gave her a few options. She replied, "My favorite part was when Mommy prayed with us."

I feel very grateful for those moments as they are the glue that keeps my sanity partially intact. So we have been praying together every night, and every night she just opens her eyes and has this incredibly sweet and happy smile on her face. Honestly, if I needed convincing that there is a god and that he is a caring and relational being, that look would push me over the edge. During that brief encounter, I don't speak any differently than I do throughout the day. Erick and I even squeeze her in family hugs several times a night, so it's not our proximity, either. I just think it must be that some place inside of our little girl is awakened and soothed in that conversation with her Abba, while her Mommy and Daddy look on.

I Can't Help It

courtesy of http://cupcakesandcouture.tumblr.com/:



For some reason I can't help but love George W. Bush. Now, I am not saying that I think he was a great, or even a good, president. We can only hope that history will sort this all out for us. Fortunately, I don't have to decide how I would have voted in 2004, knowing what I know now. No do-overs allowed.

Regardless, the fact is that when I see clips like these of the innumerable mispronunciations, confusing rambles or "Huh?" moments, it makes me love the guy more! He is who he is, and he is unapologetic about it. Now that might be exactly what you can't stand about him, but it's something I am drawn to. So, here is another clip of why I (and comedians everywhere) will miss W.