Merry Christmas! Ok, I know it's a day late, but we all know I'm not good at keeping up with the blog :(. Eleanor's second Christmas was great! And exhausting. Christmas started on the 20th at Grandma and Grandpa Schierding's house. Diane made a wonderful meal of Chicken and Dumplings (I vote that this becomes the yearly tradition over there) and Kate brought a yummy Greek salad. After dinner with tore into the mountain of presents. Eleanor was perfectly content watching Caroline open her gifts. We had to coax her into opening her own. The biggest hit for both girls was from Aunt Mary. She gave them crayons and coloring books. Simple and fun. Caroline is an intense colorer. They both "shared" Eleanor's crayons and had a blast. Eleanor also really loved the baby that she got from Grandma. After presents I headed to the kitchen to whip up some Nutella filled Ebelskivers. Yum! We had so many gifts to bring home. Soon Brian is going to set up her table and chairs in the basement. She's going to love it!
Christmas at the Meiser house was on the 22nd. Eleanor was still exhausted from the first round (and because she sleeps horribly in her pack and play). Dinner was the usual Christmas appetizer feast. So fun and so good :). We actually had to wake Eleanor from a 3+ hour nap to come and join the party, not to mention that the kids were getting tired of waiting on her to open presents. The look on Eleanor's face when she came down the stairs was priceless. She was so excited and happy to see all of her cousins and family in the house. She could not stop smiling. Of course she didn't want to eat anything, so we jumped right into the gift giving. Eleanor enjoyed searching through her stocking and loved carrying around her $5 bill. I think this would have been enough for her. Once again, she enjoyed wandering around and watching all the other kids open their gifts. After everyone was finished, we helped her open hers. She loved the shopping cart from the Fanks. Grandma's rocking horse wasn't such a hit. Eleanor was, of course, scared of it :(. Since we've been home, she's really enjoyed pushing her baby in the stroller that the Stecker family gave her. She's a luck girl :).
It was great to get home on the 23rd to get some rest before Santa came. Brian and I exchanged gifts that night. He loved his Muppets shirt and Thomas Keller cookbook, and I got a beautiful locket and a sewing machine! Both things I really, really wanted! I hope everyone likes homemade gifts...
On Chrismas Eve we all opened one gift - pajamas to wear that night/the following day. It's the beginning of a fun, new tradition for us.
Christmas morning! Santa came in full force! Eleanor must have been extra good this year ;). The first thing Eleanor ran to, after some giggling and looks of surprise, was her wooden train set. She immediately started driving her choo-choos around and making "train" noises. So cute! She was interested in her new, green potty chair, and even said, "pot" and "potty" when we told her what they were. Then she spotted her Little People doll house. And that was it. Nothing else mattered. Just as before, we had to kind of make her open the wrapped gifts, which included lots of books, a Haba color game, animal flashcards, a huge Pooh and Tigger blanket, wooden blocks, a hooded bath towel, a wooden frog with a string to pull him along, and some dinosaurs, which she calls "cuggies" for some reason. It makes me laugh every time :). Some of her other unwrapped gifts were a Rody, which she refuses to sit on, Little People legos, a yellow Bilibo, a Sit and Spin that plays music (baby techno music), some wooden puzzles, a Tickle Me Elmo, and a My Pal Scout dog that she loves. He says, sings, and spells her name and knows all about her and her favorite things. It's adorable and always makes her smile. She also got a ladybug that displays stars and the moon on her ceiling. She likes it a lot, too. I thought she would like it on in her room when she when to bed that night, but she didn't. Eleanor is very much a creature of habit. Santa also left some great things in her stocking, like chalk for her easel, ballons, play-doh, and some slippers that she actually likes to wear around the house. They're great for the cold basement, too.
Brian and I stayed in our jammies all day. Eleanor would have, but she smeared Nutella all over her face, hands, and hair and needed a bath after breakfast. So she wore her cute Chrismas outfit instead. It was a great day of doing nothing other than enjoying our wonderful little family :).
