Merry Christmas!

I L-O-V-E my big, blue car!

My Uncle Bud

Mommy and the cutest reindeer

Daddy helping me play with my new toys

Grandma's little elf

Riding my big lion with Uncle Walker

Christmas breakfast

Talking on my new phone in my new kitchen

Reading Twas' the Night Before Christmas

I know this post is a little late, but we hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday! We certainly did. Charlie's first Christmas was filled with a flurry of activity. We started our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve by letting Charlie open one gift and reading Twas' the Night Before Christmas to him as a family. Nick and I read the story to my bulging belly last year, and it was a surreal experience sitting with Charlie one year later reading the story again.

Christmas morning began at 8:00. Nick and I took turns helping Charlie rip into his presents, but we quickly realized that he was not a big fan of the sound of the paper being torn off. What a funny kid! After presents, Nick and Charlie played with all of his new loot while I prepared a yummy breakfast. We sat down to eat as a family, and shortly after it was time for Charlie's morning nap. However, no one informed Charlie that we had a tight schedule that day, because he decided he really didn't want to take his nap. Instead of taking a nap at home, Charlie passed out in the car on the way over to the Shaw's house.

We ate and opened presents at the Shaw's, and of course Charlie made out like a bandit in the gift department. He got toys, clothes, and the biggest stuffed lion I have ever seen from Granddaddy and Oma. Nick used to have a stuffed lion when he was little. He loved that thing and thought that it could fly. Now Charlie has his very own lion just like Daddy.

Charlie took nap number two on the car ride back to our place. Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Bud came over shortly after we got home to have Christmas dinner with us. We opened gifts first. In typical grandparent fashion, Grandma and Grandpa totally over did it in the toy department. Charlie's little eyes didn't know what to look at first. Uncle Bud, the avid reader, gave Charlie a great book to help him become a great reader too. After gift giving, we all enjoyed the roast that I made and the delicious deserts that my parents brought.