As I was looking through pictures on the laptop today, I came across these two from our vacation at the Thousand Islands this past summer. With it being so cold today that they closed schools, it did my soul a world of good to look at them. I even felt a little warmer.
Pigtails in the warm breeze
The cutest Crocs. Ever.
Strawberry ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.
So, Christmas. It was wonderfully overwhelming. Maggie seemed to understand the nativity, and loved pointing out Mary, Baby Jesus, and "Joe-fiss" (Joseph) and although she got excited about Santa coming and leaving toys under the tree, she refused to put out cookies and milk for him. When we were growing up I remember my dad saying something about how Santa really prefers pretzels and beer. (Perhaps a new tradition in the Zess house?) She kept telling me that she didn't want to see Santa, and I can't blame her, really. If you stop to really think about it, we spend time parenting our kids about "stranger danger" and yet we also encourage them to sit on this old man's lap and tell them how he comes in their house ONLY when they are asleep. So, don't worry, Maggie. You don't have to SEE Santa because you will be sleeping when this jolly stranger comes in our house.
Christmas Eve consisted of the annual Pearson Christmas Eve party, which occurred at brunch this year, as opposed to dinner, because of nap schedules. I think Maggie's Christmas dress was the highlight of my Gram's holiday. It was made with love by her and worn 27 and a half years ago by yours truly.
Oh, and this is what Christmas Eve looks like in the Zess residence (which is currently our residence)...
... after church, of course.
Christmas morning went better than I thought it would. Last year Maggie was a bit overwhelmed by the present opening process. This year we gave her a present to open, then we each opened one. Spacing out her opening gifts cut down on her getting overwhelmed and gave her the opportunity to take her time with each gift.
Here are a few shots from that magical morning ...
Seeing the gifts under the tree
Maggie has an incredible love for rubber duckies.
Here are 2 baby duckies she got in her stocking.
When someone asks her "What did Santa bring you for Christmas?" she answers "ducks."
Funny how she mentions the 2 things that Santa spent the least amount of money on.
The Minnie Mouse pretend digital camera continues to be a hit.
Minnie Mouse (the third one she got for Christmas this year).
Mickey says this was his best Christmas ever. Dude is one lucky mouse.
Good thing Mimi and Papa got new pots and pans for Christmas.
It's not like she just opened a bunch of new toys to play with or anything.
One of my favorite gifts that Maggie got was a Melissa & Doug dish drainer set, complete with dishes, dish soap, and a sponge. Girlfriend is a very thorough dishwasher, even putting the cups in the drainer upside down for maximum drying. It's never too early to learn housework. It's about time she started pulling her weight around here.
Christmas dinner was at my brother Dave's house again this year. Maggie was excited to play with her cousins, Katie and Lydia. It's fun that she and Lydia are only 2 months apart in age. Here is a picture of the two of them on their first Christmas with my dad...
This year the three of them got new pjs so here they are sporting them ...
Stay turned for the next post, which will be my letter to the year 2014. As always, thanks for reading and keeping in touch. Stay warm. It's cold enough to freeze your Winnebago!
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