Christmas Is Over- For Another Year

We hope all our blogging friends had a very Merry Christmas. We were very busy for the two days leading up to Christmas and Christmas day itself.

Friday we spent the day visiting Doug's grandmothers. We had lunch with one and dinner with the other (plus the extended family). Brenna was very charming and well behaved. She had new shoes with a hard sole that made "clip clop" noises. She figured out just where she needed to be to "clip clop" and spent a lot of time doing just that!

Saturday we ventured from the center of Iowa to the southwestern corner for lunch with my grandmother, my father and siblings. The highlight of the event was that my stepmother didn't come. (She has endured yet another back surgery and is not feeling up to travel). We unfortunately had to leave early as I caught some sort of cold and hit a wall. I felt miserable. We got home, Doug cared for Brenna and I took a hot bath with vapor bath. Mmmmm..... Vapor bath.

Christmas day dawned as usual. Brenna woke me and I fed her breakfast. We lolled around waiting for daddy to wake up. Well, not really. I sent Brenna into our room for a diaper change. After Brenna's diaper change Doug made his way to the living room and asked if we should go downstairs and open presents.

"Don't you want some coffee?"
"Not really."
"Are you sure you don't want any coffee? I asked again, motioning toward the kitchen.
"I have some Mt Dew downstairs."
I try one more time, with emphasis, "I really think you want some coffee."
Finally he gets it: this is sitting on the counter. Very lovely in chrome and black. Needless to say, he made some coffee.

Finally we venture downstairs. Brenna sees her unwrapped gift:



She climbs right in. And wants nothing else. Here she is pushing away her gift from Santa:



We get her to open it (kind of):



SO CUTE!

And her "big gift":



It clicks and clacks, plays music and lights up. She got a couple of dresses from grandparents, books and puzzles. But her favorite is still the sled.

I want to include this, for TKW who mourns her Texas home:



Our gift from Doug's mom. His family is in Texas. We will never live near them. It's just not my idea of paradise. (Sorry TKW!)

Later on my sibs, their families and my mom joined us. Chaos abounded. Lots of food was eaten. Three and a half bottles of champagne were consumed (along with beer and wine). Gifts were opened and strewn about. All Brenna's cousins pulled her around the family room on her sled (as they should). Fun was had by all.

Until, of course, they had to leave and my nephew, Carter, who was playing with the noisy clicky-clacky toy uttered these words: "We don't have this many toys at home." Because he is, of course, horribly underprivileged. All he got this year was a battery-operated-ride-in Chevy Sliverado... And other assorted boy toys. Poor, poor child.

And now, as Christmas is through, I must begin planning for my New Year's Brunch. At least one case of champagne is on order... Anyone gonna be in the neighborhood?