Our family Christmas

Merry Christmas (Eve)!

It was exciting for me to be a parent this year knowing Joshua was a little more "into" Christmas than his previous year(s). I quickly and quietly got the tree ready and waited anxiously for morning to come. I got up before him and showered so that I would be ready when he awoke.

 I let Joshua help make his morning smoothie peeling the banana and pouring the fruit into the blender. He was proud of helping. 

 After smoothies I made blueberry french toast! It was delightful!

 We started with stockings and then headed to packages. It was fun to see how excited Joshua was for his own gifts and how excited he was for Michael and I to open ours.

 Opening Christmas presents could have taken us all day. We made it about an hour long activity. Joshua wanted to open every gift and play with it immediately. Especially his books! He opened them and responded, "READ IT!" We encouraged him to keep opening and that we would spend the day reading and playing. With "The Pirate's Night Before Christmas" he could not wait. We tried to hand him another package or say that it was someone else's turn. He put his hand up and said "no, still reading."

 Another gem that I don't want to forget: Undies. We have been "talking-up" wearing underwear in preparation for full on potty training. (We hope that Joshua will be completely set by the time the baby is born.) He was with me when I purchased the undies and picked out the ones that he wanted. I brought them home and wrapped them. He opened them and much to our dismay, He covered his eyes and shook his head. "No, no, no.. no undies!"Michael and I couldn't help but laugh.

 Again I had a learning experience, when we had Joshua open his stocking, then presents, followed by some clothes and jammies... no interest. He could have cared less about getting clothes and I couldn't help but think, aren't you a little young to hate getting clothes so much?!?

 Joshua waited (somewhat) patiently to play with a barrel full of animals. He asked each of us to take turns playing with him, "Come on Momma! Play Daddy!" The animals were a variety of sizes which had Joshua describing the mommies and daddies and babies. We had fun with the animals.

 My dad and step-mom purchased a desk for Joshua. It came in a great big box that Joshua quickly opened, but was a little disappointed when we opened it and there was "some assembly required." I waited until nap time and set to work. This small desk took me roughly 32 minutes to complete.

 When Joshua woke up he was busy at work. 

 The desk could be a desk or it would be an easel. He experimented with it in both positions. 

 After he was done with his art, I was working on making some bars. He came into the kitchen,
"What doing, Momma?"
"Making bars."
"Joshua help?"
"Sure."
I pulled up the stool and he climbed up. He asked if he could use the "sword" otherwise known as a spatula. I was basically finished and he had never licked off the beaters before, so I thought, why not?!? I had used the spatula for fudge in the middle of the bars, there was no raw eggs or other nastiness so away he went. This picture warms myu heart!

 Because we were leaving for our trip to Wisconsin, we needed to spend some of the day doing chores... even on Christmas, but I was so very grateful to have a wonderful helping while I did the laundry.