Christmas 2009

Oh...the spirit of Christmas. Somehow, I had remembered it a bit different as a kid. With Quinn getting a bit older, I thought that this was the year that you would see the glow of Christmas in his eyes.

Looking back, I'm sure this was the case, but an almost 3 year old all worked up on chocolate and cookies the month of December made things a bit tense. I need to learn to relax a bit more.

All things considered - especially with us still getting used to life as a foursome - we had a great time as a family. And, that is the important thing. Oh...that DVD of mine that Quinn broke (Frosty the Snowman) wasn't really all that important. It was super cool, however, to see his excitement watching the super old school 1960's version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! (I loved that as a child!)

...some assembly required.
Of course, of all the tools with his wooden workbench, Quinn liked the hammer the most.

Eva sporting her Michael Jackson look...

Quinn really got into the unwrapping this year. We had to work a bit harder this year - keeping both the German (Christkind & Weihnachtsmann) and the American (Santa Claus) traditions straight...Quinn will remember next year what we told him...

Quinn checking to make sure Opa's heart is still beating!

We can't believe it, but Emily is already over 3 months old and is growing well. Her length and weight are all normal...but she still screams like a stuck pig before she goes to bed each night...Nonetheless, she is beginning to coo and can sort of grab things now.

In keeping with my family's Christmas Day tradition, we allowed Quinn to stay in his PJ's all day and let him eat (mostly) all the cookies and chocolate he could handle. Since he makes a fuss just about every day about getting dressed, he REALLY loved getting to stay in his PJ's all day. Odd the things that kids like...

Quinn as a lumberjack...

Family picture I. We had to tickle Quinn to get him to smile.

A great one of Quinn and Tick-Tack Opa.

Emily flirting with her Godfather, Kocka.

Family Pic II.

As with every year, December seems to be the fastest month of the year. You look forward to Christmas each year - especially the time with family and friends - and then it is already New Years. Crazy...as a kid, December was the slowest darn month of the year.

Next year, we promise to get out Christmas Cards...(this was the first year in my adult life that I missed sending out cards...). Hope you and your family and friends had a great holiday season!