Final Christmas Post

My Mommy and I are finally back to write my Christmas post. :) As you can imagine, I've tried and tried to get Mommy to help me get this done, but... well, let's just say we haven't gotten it done and leave it at that.

This is my Pappa and Nanna looking at a special book that someone got for Nanna. I would tell you who got her the book, but I'm not sure because Nanna loves books, and thats what almost everyone got for her. Pappa loves books, too. I think that's pretty much what everyone got him, too. In fact, the love of books pretty much just runs in the family.

Mommy thinks this is a great picture. As you can see, Tia Ay is laughing and completely un-aware of the camera. Uncle Jon knows about the picture and is putting on his usual goofy camera face.

It's been so long since Christmas, I can't even remember what we got for them, but I do remember that Tia Mandy made Tia Aytha some slippers.

This is my Tia Mandy and my Uncle Ryan. They are being all cuddly, which mommy says is something I'm absolutely not allowed to do until I'm pretty much 30. (which is when I might be allowed to get married. :)

This is Daddy, Mommy, and me. Mommy is wearing Nanna's apron, and I'm wearing a goofy face. It's my I-don't-particularly-care-for-the-taste-of-wrapping-paper face.

Here's Daddy playing my Kazoo that Pappa and Nanna got for me for Christmas. I love music, but so far I've only learned how to play the guitar, piano, and the Kazoo. They also got me a harmonica, but I guess my lungs are still to small, cause I don't have enough breath to make it work.

This is me looking way younger than I look now. Of course, that should be expected, because I'm a lot older now. That was at least 2 months ago, so I was only barely over 1 then. Now I'm practically grown up.

Family Christmas

This year was the first year that Daddy, Mommy, and I had a family Christmas with just us three. This was actually my second Christmas, but my first Christmas, we just celebrated with extended family. Daddy and Mommy believe in keeping the gifts really simple. #1 Christmas is about Jesus, and when we get lots of gifts, we think it's about ourselves. #2 When you have lots of stuff, you don't appreciate hardly any of it.

We like to have gifts that have lots of thought and love put into them. Next year, hopefully we will do better with putting forth the extra effort of thoughts and love. Don't feel sorry for us because we didn't have lots of gifts, because we enjoyed our Christmas way more than if we'd have spent lots of money on things we didn't need, plus, we are still enjoying our gifts now.

P.S. Yep, we are some of those loony people that think it's OK to shop for Christmas at thrift stores and garage sales. We actually think its more fun, because you can find some really expensive stuff sometimes for a little bit of nothing. :)

First on the agenda is for me and my Daddy to read the Christmas story to Mommy. Mommy has had this book since forever, and she only brings it out on special occasions. She says it's because I haven't learned how to take care of books yet. I don't agree with her on that!! I love to read my books. The pages make are fun to bite sometimes, and they make great stepping stones. As you can see, I thoroughly enjoy my books, so I don't know what Mommy means.

This year I'm big enough to think it's fun to unwrap gifts.

Here is the answer to the long delayed quiz from the side of the blog. I got a book. Like I said earlier, we like books. This is a very special book about how a little boy ran away and God came looking for him.

Here is Daddy with his shirt that Mommy bought him. He works at a different place than Walmart now, so he doesn't have to wear blue shirts and khaki pants all the time now.

This is Mommy helping me open her gift. It was a pretty scarf from Daddy. I'm not sure what she needs it for, but it made her happy, so Daddy and I were both happy, too.

This is me with my jar. Daddy and Mommy made this for me so that each week I can pull a paper out with an activity on it. Every week we get to do one of the activities together as a family. It's cool things like, going to the park, playing farm, and running around the living room together. Daddy and Mommy get pretty worn out with that last one, but I love it when they play tag with me all over the house. It's great fun.

Oh yes, one last thing that I almost forgot is our bicycle stuff. We are all going to start riding bicycles again, now that I'm old enough to go along. Daddy and Mommy got me a cool red helmet (that I don't like on my head), and they will both be getting helmets, too. Mommy doesn't like wearing helmets, but Daddy says what goes for the duckling goes for the goose, or something like that. :) We also have to invest in bicycle pump for all our flat tire needs.

Day 23-25

Day 23

Today we traveled to Kansas City. We are flying out to Pennsylvania bright and early tomorrow morning, so we are staying in a really cool motel tonight.

My Daddy and Mommy don't take me out to eat very often, but when they do, they always want to try some Bar-B-Q restaurant. I guess that's fine, but I'd be happy if we always went to McDonalds, cause my favorite is french fries and ice cream.

Tonight, we stopped Gates Bar-B-Q for supper.

They actually have pretty yummy food there. (except their sausage, that's not the best) I like the Turkey best, and their fries are OK. ….just not as good as McDonalds fries.

Their sandwiches are so huge, that Daddy, Mommy, and I had them for supper and breakfast.

After Gates, we went to our motel. I was pretty sleepy, but when we walked in the room, I had to deprive myself of sleep for a little longer.

There was this huge couch,

a really neat little fridge that was just my size, a safe, and lots of drawers that Mommy actually let me open. I guess it was because they were mostly empty. :(

Later a strange lady knocked on our door and brought a play pen for me to sleep in. I didn't like it at all. I don't know why people think I want to sleep in strange beds.

Day 24

Today I woke up at about 4:30.

Daddy and Mommy were already up, eating leftover sandwiches out of the fridge and packing our luggage so that we could go to the airport.

When we finally got to the airport and got on our plain, I got to sit on Daddy's lap for part of take-off. I liked to look out the window at the sunrise, and I especially enjoyed not being in a carseat.

I barely took a nap at all today, and after a layover and another flight, we got to see my Pappa and Nanna.

First we went to see Uncle Ryan and Tia Mandy. They have a 'fragile' (whatever that means) nativity that I played with for a little bit. We couldn't stay for very long though, because it was pretty late.

I've never been to Pappa and Nanna's house before today either. They have lots of stuff that I've never seen before. I'm having fun trying to use Nanna's Lysol cleaner, (even though Mommy took it away, rinsed my mouth out, and called Mr. Poison Control – can anyone tell me who that is?) and trying to build a huge fire in the fireplace for Pappa. Daddy and Mommy won't let me have the matches, so I just have to throw stuff in the fireplace and poke at it with the coal scoop.

Day 25

Today is Christmas Day, but we aren't officially celebrating until my Uncle John and Tia Aytha get here. In case you're wondering, I say Tia, because I'm a full blooded, one quarter Hispanic. I don't know what that means, but I think it sounds pretty good.

This morning we went to Beavertown God's Missionary Church. I've never been there before either, (except when my parents visited shortly before I was born, of course). My Daddy and Mommy used to go there when they went to school in Pennsylvania. I really liked that church, but I couldn't even run away from Daddy and Mommy, because there were so many people. We never have that many people at our church.

Afterwards we got to take a tour of the new church they are building. I got to drag a bucket around that made a really loud scraping noise, and play with small bits of building materials that fell on the floor. Mommy's favorite part was the place where the mail boxes are going to be. I think she kinda misses working at the church, that is she did until she saw the gigantic bathrooms. She doesn't really miss cleaning bathrooms. Course, if we cleaned the church, I'd clean the bathrooms for her. I do a really good job of cleaning lots of stuff with the toilet brush, (when I can sneak it out of its holder) and I can splash water in the toilets pretty good, too.

Tonight was one of the best parts of Advent ever. Some of the kids at Beavertown played music and sang. Probably my favorite part was when the pretty little girl played a violin. I like to play music very much, and I can't wait til Daddy and Mommy let me play at church.

Then after the music,

everyone stood around the outside of the pews and held candles while we had prayer.

It was so pretty!

I got to help Mommy hold her candle,

until I tried to touch the fire. Then she wanted to hold it far away.

Well, I'm officially finished with my Advent writings. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. If your aren't a 14 month old little boy, you probably have no idea how busy I am. I just don't have time to sit down and write much these days.

Having said that, my Mom says that I still have to write about our Christmas celebration with Pappa, Nanna, and all the rest of my Mommy's family, as well as our Christmas here at home. Keep watching for my final Christmas blogs.