Merry Christmas!

It was a white Christmas this year, which made it all the more festive! Oma and Opa came up to celebrate with us and it was so nice to have them here with us.

This was the first Christmas that Edie got excited about all things Christmas. She loved to sing Christmas carols - Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town being her favorites. Right after Thanksgiving, her Elf on the Shelf showed back up and came every day until Christmas. She loved waking up and finding where he was in the house every morning! He was also very helpful, as sometimes when she wasn't feeling a nap, the elf would magically move up to her room to keep an eye on things, and that usually remedied the problem. :) She still hasn't given her Elf a name yet though...maybe next year! She also got really excited to put the ornaments on her Christmas tree advent calendar every day, and liked to play with the Baby Jesus in her Little People nativity set and rearrange the animals in the manger. She loved decorating our Christmas tree and would always remind me to plug in the lights! She would constantly talk about how Frosty and/or Santa were coming to "my souse" (house). She also loved wearing all her Christmas themed outfits!

Her candy cane dress from Aunt Eleanor - the "Christmas Princess dress" I'm still not sure where she got the Princess connection to this dress, but never the less, she loved it! She also loved her red shoes!

She is still incredibly leery of Santa Claus though. She likes him, and would want to go to the mall to see him but then would completely clam up when we'd park the stroller outside the fence where he was. We watched a lot of Christmas movies to try to ease her fear of him (it's not just Santa, she was the same way about the Easter bunny!).

Watching Frosty the Snowman with Sadie before bedtime

She finally decided she wanted to see Santa Claus and tell him that she wanted a green princess dress, so we took her out to Bass Pro Shops to see him where it would be less crowded than the mall. She froze up when we got there, and didn't want to sit on his lap anymore so we didn't force it. She did manage to muster up the courage to walk up to him and get a candy cane though! So no pictures with Santa this year, but we did get one of her in Bass Pro sporting her Mountaineer look for Aunt Erin!


We had a big ice storm the week or so before Christmas, so we used the opportunity of being stuck in the house to make a gingerbread house. Edie loved decorating it, and was so proud of it. She would show it to everyone who would come over, and tell them "I made this!".



Oma and Opa came up on the 23rd, and we spent most of the time preparing for all the holiday meals. Edie was so excited to have Opa play with her in her playroom in the basement while Oma and I prepared the food. They also made Christmas cookies, and decorated them together. Making and decorating the cookies for Santa was always one of my favorite Christmas traditions!

Rolling the dough and cutting out cookies

Icing the cookies

Christmas Eve

We went to the Christmas Eve service at St. Boniface with Oma, Opa, Poppy & Tu. Everyone came over afterwards, and Todd & Breia joined us as well for a Christmas Eve feast. Christmas Day was so exciting for Edie. She came down the stairs and saw the Radio Flyer wheelbarrow that Santa left so she can help her dad move wood for the fire. It was filled with stuffed zoo animals and the green princess dress. She loved opening all her gifts, and loved handing out presents as well. Uncle David and Jane came over for Christmas dinner, and we enjoyed another feast!

Santa brought the green princess dress, Edie's one request!

Opening stockings

New Tutu and shoes, tiara and jewelry

She was so excited about the Princess dress, we had a hard time getting it off of her. She insisted on sleeping with it at nap time and that night, she slept with her Tutu. If her tutu is in her room when she goes to sleep, it's usually on when we go to get her up in the morning!

New art desk!

The Wheelbarrow
Princess Tent
In her princess tent, all princessed out in her new gear!

And on the 26th, we all celebrated Poppy's 70th birthday! Here is Edie in her party dress with Oma & Opa ready to go to Poppy's party. I thought I got a picture of Edie and the birthday boy as well, but unfortunately it didn't take.