Part II

We returned home Christmas Eve to a wet basement....but you already know all about that, so I won't go there. It'll just end in some kind of sarcastic remark about our house and water....a running theme through the blog. We were up super late wrapping gifts since I had NOTHING wrapped, but I've been told that's just a rite of passage into parenthood.

We had to wake Landon up Christmas morning to have time to open gifts before heading to Larry and Chris's. I'm writing that down to remember, since this will most certainly be the last year we have to wake him on Christmas morning. Santa brought Landon a Spiderman Tricycle, which went over a lot like the Gator you'll read about in post III. He's turning out to be a little more fearful of things than I thought...which really is a relief since until recently the child had shown fear of absolutely nothing. Other highlights of Christmas morning: I got tickets to see Legally Blonde the musical at the Fox. Totally pumped about that. Chad insisted that I not spend much on him since the weekend getaway to see Legally Blonde also included benefits for him.....(if I would've known that he was calling seeing Legally Blonde a weekend for him, I would've bought him more anyway) He got new Illini headphones for his iPod, his favorite German beer, and a DVD......Looks like I've got to make up for this on Valentine's Day. I'm sure he'll relish that comment. Also worth mentioning: Landon also got a his first soccer goal, a puzzle, some finger paint, and drum full of instruments, including a flutophone, which he used the day after Christmas as a golf club as he teed off on a Christmas ornament that shattered across the floor. Not the intentional use of a musical instrument. Looks like we have a little work to do in that department.

Uncle Scotty helped Landon open gifts at Grandpa and Grandma's. He was a hoot, as usual. He opened this gift, and when we asked what it was, he declared it was a dress, and then proceeded to put it on his head. To be clear, it was bulldog jammies, and I'm not sure where that dress comment came from, but we all got a good laugh anyway. Grandpa and Grandma bought Landon a train table and train set and a Lightning McQueen tent and sleeping bag. Landon also helped open a few other gifts, like this outfit we bought for Abby, before falling asleep in the middle of the living room floor before all the gift opening was finished. Christmas is exhausting when you're almost two...strike that...Christmas is exhausting no matter how old you are. It's a good kind of exhausting though. We got Larry and Chris stockings with all of our names stitched on them to hang on their new fireplace. And there are TONS of other gifts that were very well received, but I know a lot of you read this at work on Mondays, and if I wrote all the gifts we got, you'd be reading for quite sometime. I don't want to be responsible for any of my faithful readers becoming unemployed, so I'll just say that it was a great Christmas and everybody got just what they wanted. :)

The extended fam came at lunch time and so the eating and eating and eating began and ended with more gift opening. It was Abby's first Christmas, and she had three Christmas outfits she had to get in throughout the day. Here she is in her Christmas dress, looking oh so adorable. Isn't she just the prettiest lil thing you've ever seen? She got me a frame for Christmas that says "Aunt: Just like my Mom, only cooler" which was one of my favorite gifts. I think I may have to put the picture on the right in the frame. Ooohh....I just wanna squeeze her just looking at the picture.

Here's Landon opening a gift from Uncle Don and Aunt Deanna. It's a baseball glove that lights up when you catch the ball. Super cool! After the flutophone/Christmas ornament incident, the baseball was put high in Landon's closet for safe keeping.

Christmas ended with the traditional family picture. And although you can't tell in the picture, Scott (aka Uncle Stallion) is wearing his new camo shorts he received earlier in the day....WITH his boots...a very hot and upcoming style. G.G. is squeezing in in the smaller picture, and Landon is half asleep in both. Two things are new to the holiday picture this year: the first and by far the most important is Abigail Christine of course. The second is the long awaited fireplace, the perfect back ground for any family picture, and the scene of what I'm sure will be many more Christmases and many more family "first" moments.

Here's a video of Landon and his cousin Liam, who as of recently are starting to play with each other instead of ignore each other. Just like the fireplace, I'm sure this is just the first video of Landon and Liam having a good time together. So much to look forward to. What a blessed family.