Addison & Isla: Christmas 2010!

This was the first Christmas that Addison really knew what was going on and I think we ALL took advantage of that by spoiling her rotten! It was a fun and festive holiday with lots of toys and treats, maybe a bit too many, but it was all worth it! Gramma Pam was here for a week and really enjoyed spending time with the girls and witnessing the excitement of a traditional Christmas morning. We spent Christmas Eve at Ba and Nana's with a delicious meal and some present opening. Addison got some really cool things including a real wooden block set, a turtle that acts like a night-light and throws stars and a moon on her ceiling and a Good Night Moon memory game. Isla loaded up on cute clothes (yay! something other than Addison's hand-me-downs!) and baby toys. We got home that night and left cookies, that Addison had made earlier, and milk out for Santa Clause and read "The Night Before Christmas" before the kids hit the sack. Then the fun began - hauling up loads and loads of presents to place under the tree. When we were done there was a mountain of goods (including a rather large stuffed horse) spilling out into the living room.

When the girls woke up at the crack of dawn the next morning we were able to keep Addison downstairs long enough for us to make coffee and collect ourselves so we could really be in the moment when she first walked into the living room. When that moment arrived, the first thing she did was squeal and say "OH!!!!! A HORSE!!!" There were other exclamations about Santa, and lots of treats, and tiny reindeer and such, but I can imagine the whole thing was a bit of a whirlwind for her. Ba and Nana arrived around 9am, after Addison opened everyone's stockings, and we proceeded to open gifts until 12:30pm. That's right, 12:30pm, when we finally broke for brunch! That will give an idea of the amount of presents for the kids - meaning Addison. With 3 sets of grandparents and their generosity, it was completely mad. There were books and toys and games and dinosaurs and Chuck the Truck and a V-Tech reader with a carryng pack and books to go with it, puzzles and stuffed animals and DVDs, coloring books and more. When it was all said and done, we separated things into piles for our house, Brenda's house, Ba and Nana's house and things to store away to take out throughout the year. We are still thinking of new ideas for creative storage, always a challenge in a house with children and all their stuff!

It's been SO nice for DJ and I to have time off of work to spend with our girls and it's truly felt like a nice long break. We can't believe the new year is here (where did 2010 go?) and it's back to reality on Monday morning. We're looking forward to a healthy and happy year with our precious girls, and wish the same to all of you and yours!!!

High chair pals

Addison grabs Isla's hand and sings this song saying "Up already" or something like that when they are in their high chairs together. Not sure what that means, but it's cute.

Making cookies with Gramma