Christmas 2012!

We spent Christmas Eve mostly at home baking cookies and wrapping presents before heading to church for the 7:00 service. Emma was beyond excited-she seems to get more into the anticipation part of Santa's visit every year-and it was close to midnight before she finally settled down! On Christmas morning, Emma slept in until 10:15 (thankfully!), but once she was up, watch out! She had 3 presents open before I could even snap one picture!***In the afternoon we headed up to Mom and Dad's for a get-together with Dad's side of the family. My cousin Jared, his wife Julia, and their son Justin had come up from Florida, and Emma really enjoyed playing with Justin again, who's just a few months older than her. It all ended too quickly, of course, but it was still a very enjoyable visit!

'Twas the Weekend Before Christmas...

The weekend before Christmas we went to Toledo and stayed with Grandma Karen. While we were there, we had a Christmas gathering at Papa Norm and Grandma Sheila's, with Todd's family and step family. Emma especially enjoyed playing with her cousin Lily, and they even got a few matching gifts! We also went to Children's Wonderland indoor lights display, where Emma got to ride a train, write a letter to Santa, meet Rudolph, and even visit with Santa one more time before the big day. On Sunday we went to Papa Norm's church before going to see Disney on Ice! By the way...the picture of Emma in the snow was actually taken at our house right before we headed North; for once, we had about 3 inches and Toledo had NONE!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

We've had a lot of fun attending Christmas events the past two weeks! Pictured above are: A Candlelight Walking Tour in a nearby town (which included a Dr. Seuss train display, Santa and Mrs. Claus); A Victorian Christmas at a historical house in town (with the decorated trees and Old-Fashioned Santa; our tree and house decorations; A Pancake Supper at Mom's School (face painting picture); Emma's Preschool Program; and "Tumbling With Santa" at the Y (gymnastics pictures).

To Grandmother's House We Go (Finally)!

Somehow time got away from us, and we realized we hadn't visited Grandma Karen at her house since July! So, our traditional after-Thanksgiving trip to Grandma's was extra special. We headed up on Friday the 24th and were treated to Karen's roast beef dinner and a visit with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tommy (who we hadn't seen since our last visit), Grandma Sheila and Papa Norm, and Cousin David (who is now going on 2). On Saturday we visited Build-a-Bear, where we treated Emma to an early Christmas present of Rudolph (after all, what good is a Build-a-Bear animal if you don't stuff it yourself?!), and Grandma chipped in with an outfit for our new friend. That evening, we went to the Toledo Zoo for the Christmas light display. On Sunday, Todd, Emma and I went to Imagination Station Science Museum, where they have a traveling exhibit called "The Body," which features Sesame Street characters. Oh yeah...and we saw Santa Claus, too!