Christmas

We had an enjoyable Christmas here in NC, and with our families in Indiana. Elaina really got into the decorations this year. She enjoyed saying "Good morning, Christmas" when she came down the stairs in the morning and looking for the (sh)Elf. Her favorite part of the Christmas decorations, though, was the pretty new books that came out especially those with Carols ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." and "Deck the Halls" were the favorites).



Some interesting developments came when her knowledge of the religious aspects of the season bled over into the decorative aspects. For example, when we first pulled out a Santa ornament she pointed and said, "Jesus." This made perfect sense, because Jesus did have a beard in the Easter decorations and books, but now--confusingly--Jesus was a baby surrounded by farm animals.

The other crossover was when Elaina said her first prayer. For some time now, she has been clasping her hands and closing her eyes when we pray before meals, chiming in with an "Amen" at the end. Then, one evening while Victoria and I were preparing dinner we heard Elaina sitting at the island in the kitchen mumbling. We looked over and saw her praying with eyes shut and hands together: "mumble, mumble, mumble, Reindeer. Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble. Reindeer." Her first prayer, for the reindeer.

Victoria got a nice treat the last weekend before Christmas: she met up with some Butler friends (Amanda and Talia) in New York. She had a great time catching up and seeing the sights in NYC. Elaina and I had a rough time without Mommy, but we were glad she was getting a fun vacation after all the single-parenting she's had to do while I've been in classes three nights a week.



Then, we did the unthinkable. We packed our RAV4 to the gills and drove the entire way to Southern Indiana, with a two year old... and we only stopped twice! We saw my family first where we got to meet my niece Laila Grace Silva. She was sleepy and peaceful the whole time we were there. Elaina had fun watching her and holding her and she loved playing with cousin "Coby" (formerly "Doby"--actual name: Jacoby).



My parents seemed to really enjoy having all their grandkids there at once, so I tried to capture their joy in my favorite art medium: snow.

We enjoyed getting to play in the snow, but we actually would have had more snow in North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham had its first White Christmas on record with 6-7 inches!)

Here's the best thing we found under the Christmas tree:

Next up, we headed to Victoria's folks' where Elaina found more cousins to play and be silly with. Grammy Sally got the girls "Pillow Pets" and Elaina and Addison had try them out right away.

All three girls also had to make sure to feed the reindeer out front. They might have eaten more than they fed to the reindeer.

We spent New Year's with Victoria's family as well (following through on our resolution from last year to never again stay in a hotel over New Year's Eve). We started back on New Year's day, arrived on the second and I was back at work on the third. Victoria went back to work (and Elaina to daycare) on the fourth, and I'll start my last semester of law school this coming Monday.

Elaina had a rough first few days back at daycare and she's been struggling with going to sleep at nights. A little detox is to be expected, though, after spending so much time away from home with so many exciting cousins and loving grandparents, aunts, and uncles.