[Before we were able to leave town, we had to repack clothes and get the gifts for my family packed up. We also took a bit of time to eat brunch with my two best friends that decided to abandon us for greater things and move across the country a few years ago. They are never in town at the same time, so even though it was brief, it was awesome to get to see them both for a little while.
The girls enjoyed their finger puppets while waiting for Mommy and Daddy to finish packing.]
The girls pulled up chairs for themselves but never sat in them. Instead, they ran around helping pass out gifts and checking out what everyone else was doing.
My grandma is always so thoughtful when it comes to gift giving. She always ends up finding the perfect, most simple gift. This time, she got each girl a small heart shaped cookie cutter. While she thought they would just forget about it or not like it, the girls saw it and shouted with glee because they knew we could make cookies or playdough shapes.
Our dear friends, Jerri and Henry, got the girls something for Christmas too. Jerri proclaimed that she was most excited for Audrey's gift, a plush puppy so soft and similar looking to my parents' dog, Hannah. It was a hit with Audrey, too, as this is the first baby/stuffed animal that she has named herself. The puppy's name is affectionately called, "Gingerbread." Nevermind that it is black instead of light brown. :)
For Josie's birthday last year, they had got her the pirate Tinkerbell movie, so for Christmas, they stuck with the same theme and got her a barbie size Tinkerbell. She absolutely loved it!
We got her this backpack with her name on it (to replace one that we had lost earlier this year... still upset that it's just gone). It's a bit bigger and she felt very official walking around with her treasures all zipped in tight.
My sister got the girls hockey skates that will be awesome next year (a little big this year, plus a pregnant mommy that shouldn't be skating so it'll have to wait) and Polly Pockets for each of the girls. Did you play with Polly Pockets as a kid? They were huge hits in our house, and one of the few toys we vividly remember playing with. While they aren't the exact same, the girls still thought they were pretty fun.
Our gifts to my parents were new cell phones since they both still had dumb phones that were pretty old. They were not too excited about this gift, however, because it meant more work for them. Who wants to have a huge learning curve on something you use every day?? Their reactions were priceless. Fake joy, all around!
Thankfully, after teaching them how to use the basic functions on their phones, they didn't seem as overwhelmed and even seemed to enjoy them a bit. We'll check back in six months from now and see what they think. ;)
My parents' gift to the girls was a huge dollhouse. I figured since we keep having girls, it'd be a useful thing to have around the house, no matter how big it is. So, my dad set the stage, with the girls already having opened the furniture and dolls, asking them if they think those things would like to have a home of their own. They strongly agreed. You should have just seen the look on their faces when they saw it. All of their little girl dreams coming true. It was so fun to watch.
The next day was my 28th birthday! Nothing special was done, per my request, except going in to town to see my grandma and opening presents and eating cake. Being almost nine months pregnant, I had no desire to have a party or go somewhere to celebrate. Sitting at home with my favorite people was good for me. :)
A few of the gifts to me were a tripod and remote for my camera. We fiddled with it for a while and got a pretty decent family picture. I smell a family tradition starting!
And of course, my sister modeled for me while I played with the settings. So nice of her to make it festive by spelling out JOY for us. She's single, you lucky guys! I can hook you up with her info if you ask nicely. :)
What a marvelous Christmas week!
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