Ah Christmas...

As much as we played up to Christmas, boy did it happen insofastseedoflightandthenitsover. I have mixed feelings about this. I really want to enjoy it. But I also want to shape it. I'm trying to figure out how to do both. And at the same time, I am so happy to say good-bye to Christmas the very next day. I want to de-clutter and un-decorate. I feel the need to clean out the dust-ridden decorations and pine needles (which are like little needles of death for a crawling-everything-goes-in-your-mouth baby). I had these images of Ava getting this awful cough which were followed by x-rays that showed a pine needle lodged in her lung that caused a tumor, which caused permanent damage...see where I'm going here? Yeah, p.s.y.c.h.o. I think we made out unscathed, by the way. And apparently I've been a very good girl. My letter to Santa must have made some waves in the North Pole. Ava's 2 front teeth came through the day after Christmas, with a palpable relief felt by all (OK, really felt by me.) And as of today, my amazing 8x10 shed built by Rick sits proudly next to the house, half full immediately following completion of the roof. You better believe I expunged the contents of 2 closets, garage shelves, and the heater closet (I was informed it's not the smartest move to store woven baskets and table clothes in a closet where the heating unit is also present) quicker than you can say "Merry Christmas." Rick is lobbying for some space and, lalala, I can't hear him. Santa also catapulted me into the 21st century with an iPad. I've been very unplugged from technology since trying to get pregnant with Sophia. I was literally up all night for the next few nights trying to figure out how the iPad was going to sync into my life and make it all organized. And then I got sidetracked by trying to beat Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. Rick and I are waging a very competitive war for highest score, and it's getting ugly. I also downloaded a book on iBook app. As if I couldn't sink further into the iPad blackhole. So with all levels of Angry Birds completed with 3 stars, currently on top with the highest score of Fuit Ninja, and having just finished the John Grisham novel, I am coming up for air before I discover that there really is an app for everything my heart desires. We have yet to figure out if this thing is pure poison or pure nirvana.
But enough about my spoiled bratness. Sophia loves her dinosaur and she brought it to Show and Tell for her first day back to preschool. I realized that her first bike wasn't all the rage, in fact I never knew it wasn't intuitive to know how to pedal. But it's work in progress. Let's just say that Sophia and Ava are loved and spoiled and they are playing with every toy, all a big hit. My heart is full right now and I am very content. I am so very blessed, and even without toys and the iPad (well, I'm not sure I could give up my iPad right now) I am so grateful for our families and friends and the kid's cousins, and I could go on and on. But I will end with some pictures to recap our holiday fun.

We made Reindeer food to lure in the fleet

Christmas Eve with the girls literally climbing the walls

Christmas morning at Noni and Papa's