A Deep and Dark December

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I must say I'm glad it's over... it's fun... but... whoever said Christmas with small children is more meaningful is lying.  It's stressful and exhausting.  Anyway.

This is before festivities started- her favorite napping spot.       

 Just chilling and taking up most of the couch...

 Christmas eve we went to the Koch Christmas.  "Christmas Koch" according to little miss.  She had a great time with all the kids and we ate too much good food.

Tea party with Daddy- want some more?   

 
We let her open her stocking that night because there were new church toys in it. 

Christmas morning we went to W-ton.  Little miss got to wear her Christmas dress.  I have this problem with seeing cute dresses that are either too expensive or not available anymore.  So I ended up sewing her dress about a week before Christmas.  Every little girl needs at least one blue velvet dress in her life, right?  *grin*

 After church we went home so somebody would take a nap, and we opened our presents from each other.  "ohoho, what is it?"

 

Then we went to the farm for the evening.  Mom made the usual feast.  Then it was time for presents.  Shelly braided Cecily's pigtails...  looking at pictures with Lena.

 I made my dad a quilt.  It looks like a Hudson Bay Blanket, which I love.  (Well, I had somebody machine quilt it, but I pieced it.)

 

Somebody was not very interested in presents, unless they were Uncle Jakey's.

 
The day after Christmas we celebrated with the Schlipf's in Gridley.  Bob got sick that day, so he stayed home.  I didn't take any pictures, but Cecily had a great time prancing around in her new princess dress and playing with 'Nina.' 

Then we had a short break from festivities.  One afternoon Cecily kept herself busy while I was cooking by making supper too.  In her new apron.   

 Monday was Wyss Christmas, aka, the Day of Days.  It started off badly... little miss woke up too early and was not happy about it.  So it took us that much longer to get ready.  Yeah, kind of a miserable morning.  But there was still plenty of food left when we got there, so we didn't miss out on the third best meal of the year (after Thanksgiving and Christmas supper, of course). 

She did cheer up and had fun playing with Neal and Kim's girls. 

 

And Kacie and Shelly who let her drink waaaay too much "Pepper."

Then she didn't take more than a 10 minute nap and was kind of a wreck the rest of the evening. Woot.  Hooray for dealing with a whiny, clingy toddler who only wants Mommy.  I feel like I never get to spend time with my cousins anymore because I'm either taking care of her, or she must be with me at all times.  Oh, and by then I had a headache. 

She fell asleep on the way home and didn't wake up when we carried her in, so she ended up sleeping in her clothes.  It was pretty funny when she woke up- "want fishy jammies!" 

We didn't make any plans for New Years Eve, other than church, which was a good move.  We had just pulled into the garage when Cecily piped up in the back seat, "She want chocolate shake."  Soooo.... Bob humored her and went out and brought back shakes.  Silly girl. 

Bob's family celebrated Christmas the next day and I didn't take any pictures.  I took little miss home for a nap... she slept for two hours... that never happens!  Poor tired girl.  Then we went back out in the snow for supper. 

Today Bob had to go to work and Cecily and I relaxed and took down Christmas decorations.  She asked me this morning- "all done Christmas?"  Haha.  I wasn't the only one I guess...

Anyway, I didn't make any new years resolutions... if I had they probably would have involved unfinished house projects and potty training.  woot woot.  *sigh*  I was thinking about New Years past...  particularly that weekend five years ago at Kaleigh's.  How much has changed... and how much I still miss those days. 

Blessings.