Christmas and New Year's

Much to Eli's dismay, Josh went back to school today, and I took the Christmas tree down.  We all enjoyed the holiday season, especially Eli, who got a lot of "Daddy time."  I wanted to post some video footage of Christmas, but for some reason the cable from the video camera to the computer is not working too well right now.  Unfortunately, most of it was video, not pictures, so there's not a lot of visual.  You'll have to take my word for it--Eli loved it!

On Christmas Eve, we read some Christmas stories, including The Night Before Christmas, and re-enacted the nativity.  Since Eli loves pretending, he really enjoyed dressing up as Joseph, the shepherds, and one of the wise men (when you have a small family, you get lots of parts).  He also enjoyed writing a note to Santa and giving him a plate full of cookies.  Although, Eli is convinced that his Grandpa Grant is Santa, so he really just thought they were going to him. :-)

On Christmas morning, Eli was as excited as ever to open his stocking.  In fact, we could have ended right there and he would have been the happiest boy in the world.  He had read the book and watched the movie The Polar Express, so he kept asking for a bell from Santa.  He was quite pleased to get one in his stocking, and I was pleased to note that a bell, some Toy Story bubble bath, and pistachios are all that's required for big smiles and lots of excitement!

Of course, we opened the rest of the gifts too.  Each one was the best thing ever!  In fact, I think Eli was a little unsure of which to play with first, so we put his train sets away in the closet until we took them out yesterday.  That way his new-toy-playing experience wasn't so overwhelming. :-)

For New Year's Eve we had some sisters in the ward come over and play dominoes with us in the evening.  Josh and I aren't big on the late nights though, so we ushered in the new year an hour early so we could go to bed.  The next day we took Eli to his first "big" movie.  He'd only been to a theater one other time--on his birthday we took him to see the 3D whales movie at the science museum.  This was the first time he saw a full-length cartoon movie in the theater.  We watched Tangled, and we all thought it was a really good movie.  Okay, Josh and I probably enjoyed it a little more than Eli.  He liked it, but it didn't hold his interest as much as some other movies do (I'm thinking it was a little more "girly" than he likes).  He really enjoyed the preview for Cars 2, and we'll probably take him to the "big" theater for that when it comes out.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for Christmas gifts and cards.  We enjoyed them and hope you have a Happy New Year!

Nana & Bampa's House

Though we're staying home for Christmas this year, we still did some traveling this month.  We visited Josh's family in Washington and had a lot of fun.  Eli loved seeing his cousins and Nana and Bampa.  He recognized them right away.  He's pretty good at remembering, but I also think it helps to have pictures of them on the wall in our house.  It should be interesting to see if he recognizes my parents when we visit them next month.

Eli got to play a lot with his cousins, which he definitely enjoyed.  We toured the Theo Chocolate Factory, which Eli was very sad to leave.  I can't blame him since he got all the free samples he wanted.  He loved the Children's Museum and the cannon shooting at the Pump It Up play center.  We went to a live nativity as well as the toy soldiers in Bellevue.  Most of all, I think we all just enjoyed spending time with family. 

Putting Up the Tree

  

 The Christmas tree is up!  This is only the 2nd of six Christmases together that Josh and I have put up a tree.  We've always been gone for most of December, as well as Christmas, and thought it wasn't worth the hassle.  This time we'll actually be home for Christmas, so this is the first year Eli has seen and helped us put up the tree.  He loved it!  He was so excited that he actually hugged the tree at one point and said, "I love you, Christmas tree."  He wants the lights on all the time, even during the day, and I have to continually remind him that the ornaments are to be left on the tree.  We even made some cinnamon gingerbread boy ornaments together, which he loved doing.  I think this will be a really fun Christmas since Eli is understanding it so much better.

Pretend Play

I'm vaguely remembering what it is like to be a kid again as I watch Eli with his pretend play. Though it was ages ago, I still remember dressing up and pretending to be somebody I wasn't or somebody I hoped to be. Now I watch as Eli does the same thing. His favorites lately are pretending to be an astronaut or pretending to be a gardener blowing leaves.

Pretending to be a gardener with a leaf blower
Accessories: Vacuum attachments

Pretending to be an astronaut
Accessories: Bike helmet, aviator-type jacket, and a cardboard box with frills

Pretending to be a diver
Accessories: Snorkeling equipment