Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted. Christmas was wonderful. It is my favorite holiday of the year! The kids were super excited. Andy is on the edge of believing, he isn't quite sure which direction to go. So, he enjoyed the magic of the holiday this year. Katie was super excited about Santa this year. I took them to have their pictures taken with Santa like I do every year. This was the FIRST year Katie was not afraid of him and actually WANTED to sit on his lap and talk to him. She had a hard time understanding that he only comes on Christmas Eve. If it were up to her (and I am sure many children around the globe), he would come every night. We spend Christmas Eve with Jason's side of our family. It was a packed house and a great time. Christmas morning, we did our family Christmas. Every year I tell the kids that they are welcome to wake Mommy and Daddy up when they get up on Christmas morning and we will open presents. Well, Christmas Eve, Jason and I didn't get to bed until about 3am. Keep in mind that my children are not morning creatures. Andy sleeps until at least 8 and Katie will sleep until noon if you let her. So, you can imagine the suprise on our faces when we were jolted out of an hour's sleep at 4am on Christmas Day! Andy had woken up, gotten his sister up, and then proceeded to awake us. It was tough getting out of bed, but Andy was so excited there was no way out of it. Jason did his fair of grumbling, but he joined us in the living room as well. When I walked into the living room, Katie was patiently sitting in the living room floor staring at the tree. It was such a cute sight to see. I wish I had already had my camera in my hands. It didn't take the kids long to open their presents. Andy was much quicker than Katie. Then, Jason and I decided to steal a nap before it was time to head out the door. By this time, it is 5am. Back to bed we go. 30 minutes later, Andy is frantically waking me up because Katie is sick. She has thrown up twice. Her fever was well over 100. Poor baby, sick on Christmas Day. She spent most of the day being miserable. We left the house later than we intended (cleaning up constant throw up will do that to you.) When Katie's tummy seemed stable, we headed to my parent's house. Katie slept all the way out there while Andy played with some of his new toys in the back seat. We are very spoiled by my parents at Christmastime. I should have taken a picture of the living room when we first walked in. There was barely any place to sit. Katie suddenly felt better! Her and Andy found a place to sit and eagerly awaited presents. We had a blast opening thing. It is truly just as much fun to give as it is to receive (or at least for me). The kids received many wonderful things. They played happily all afternoon! One of the things I had repeatedly requested for Christmas was a GPS for my car. I had given up hope as I was opening the wonderful gifts that I received. Then suddenly, my Dad hands me a present from him. It's my GPS! I am so excited! Then a few minutes later, Jason opens a gift. He got one too! Come to find out, my Mom had gotten Jason one first. My Dad, knowing that I wanted one and that it would be difficult for me and Jason to share a GPS, had gotten me one too. I thought that was a really cute story. Jason and I laughed about it for a while. I truly am blessed with the wonderful family that I have. Not just at Christmas, but all year round. After presents, we watched a movie. Soon it was time to eat. After Christmas dinner, it was another movie. I actually fell asleep during this movie. I was exhausted! I only had about an hour and a half of sleep the night before. Katie had crawled into Mummum's lap because she was again not feeling well, and fell asleep. Jason woke me up about 5 so we could head home. I was so glad we were able to spend so much time with my parents (even though I was asleep for part of it). I know it meant a lot to them for us to be there all day. We then headed to Jason's Mom's house to visit. After a short time there, we decided we should get the kids home. Katie wasn't really doing very well and Andy wanted to play with all of his toys. With the exception of Katie being sick, it was a wonderful day.
New Year's Eve, we had some friends over to our house. We don't like to get the kids out that night, why take a chance of being hit by a drunk driver? It was a small crowd. We sat outide on the swing enjoying the new fire pit. Then we watched the motorcycle jumps, and eventually Dick Clark's countdown. It wasn't a crazy evening, but it was what we like. A relaxing evening with good friends.
Things have been pretty slow for us since the holidays came and went. It has been nice to just relax around the house and not have to rush off to one place or another. Katie has decided that she doesn't want to sleep in her room. She has been in bed with me and Jason for the past several nights. I know, I know.....I shouldn't do that. As much as I love cuddling with my daughter, I am about to start sleeping on the couch! With her in our bed, I don't get much sleep. When I put her to bed last night, I was determined to let her cry it out and eventually fall asleep in her bed. She won't get up unless you tell her she can. She went to bed a 9 and cried off and on for the next hour and a half. When we turned off the tv and headed to bed ourselves at 10:30, it suddenly sounded like someone was making a horror film upstairs. She wasn't only crying, she was suddenly screaming. My heart couldn't take it, I felt so bad for her. So, I told her to come on down to our room. I am exhausted today! Katie is a very wild sleeper, and she has to be touching me at all times. It doesn't make for a very peaceful evening. I guess I will have to figure out another approach for putting her to bed tonight.......
