On Saturday morning, we drove back home for one last Christmas celebration. We exchanged gifts with Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandpa Cerer, and Uncle Clay in the morning. Once again, we were all spoiled by Santa and family!
After some play time and a nap, we were joined by Great-Grandma (yellow hair), Aunt Michelle, Erin, Aunt Debbie, Aunt April, Courtni, her friend (Audrey), Ty, and Amber. Visiting with everyone was fun, as always! Great-Grandma brought Gia a Christmas surprise and a doll from Aunt Marlene.
The weekend after Christmas, we traveled back home to celebrate Christmas with Uba, Grandpa and the rest of the family. We played, ate, played, and ate some more. Friday night, Cooper, Gianna, and Brecken each chose a cookie to leave out for Santa, and Saturday morning, they were very excited to see that he made a special trip to Uba and Grandpa's!
Two years in a row now, Gianna has gotten completely overwhelmed by the combination of lack of sleep, excitement, and the chaos of Christmas morning. What do I mean by overwhelmed? 1. Stops listening 2. Starts screaming 3. Throws full-fledged fit (all within roughly two minutes) 4. Cries 5. Apologizes and relaxes with Mom or Dad and blanky...
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Gianna loved playing with Brecken and Cooper all weekend!
Ryan, Cooper, Gianna, and Kona enjoyed the snowfall. Ryan dumped Cooper and Gia just about every time they turned this corner, and they just hopped right back on! Grandpa was out and about too.
Dzia Dzia came to visit for a couple of days to celebrate with us. Gia loved having more "stay home days" and time to play. After playing in the playroom with babies, Play-Doh, and chalk all day, we exchanged gifts. Gianna had shared a couple of times that she was sad that Santa didn't bring her Brave, but "It was okay, right?" So, when Dzia Dzia told Gianna that Santa left something for her at his house, she was thrilled to see that Santa didn't forget about Brave after all!
What did Dzia Dzia bring Gianna? Princesses!
Aunty Gina, Uncle Tony, and Jonathan sent presents with Dzia Dzia too. Gia's favorite is the Jack-in-the-Box!
Gianna and Dzia Dzia loved playing together, reading stories, singing songs, and visiting the Rotary Lights. We had a great visit!
Ryan and I loved being home on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, and Gianna got to play with her new toys all.day.long. We had the fire place going, enjoyed snacks, treats, and warm drinks, and we made breakfast for dinner.
Gianna woke up around 7:15 after going to bed an hour and a half late. She checked to see if Santa and his reindeer ate the cookies and carrots and drank the milk (and they did take care of most of it). The presents became really exciting once Gia realized they were all for us! Before we could get started, she asked about the note Santa left on her new bean bag.
Stockings first
Gianna and Daddy passed out presents
Vito had one too.
Mrs. Clause was letting this one go, but Santa knew best.
Gianna had a special surprise...an updated playroom!
We missed our families being at home, but we were lucky enough to Skype or FaceTime with lots of them. Aunt Debbie, Uncle Mike, and Brittany even got to watch Gia open the gift they sent her (Play-Doh). In the next few days and weeks, we'll get to spend time with everyone.
For those of you who want to see Gianna tearing into her presents, here is a little video...
We celebrated Christmas Eve (and Bennett's 10th birthday) with Bill, Laura, Maryn, and Bennett this year. Rather than a sit down meal, we did appetizers (bruschetta, filet mignon crustinis, lobster avacado something, beef tenderloin sliders, pizza bites, taco dip, and Pringles for Bennett). My picture doesn't do our spread any justice; the food was great!
Bennett loves getting his picture taken.
We bribed him with a gift.
Here are the hams.
The food was delicious, the kids had fun, and the company was fabulous! Merry Christmas!`
Our first real snow fall this year was beautiful! Gianna woke up to a dusting covering the ground, and she was pawing at the window within minutes asking to play outside. When I asked her what she wanted to do in that tiny bit of snow, she simply said, "I will roll in it (insert pleading tone)." After awhile, we had plenty of snow to roll in...
Luckily, Ettrick had their first annual Holi-Polooza the day before the snow hit. Gianna came with me to support the community, play in the 4K room, and eagerly visit Santa and Mrs. Clause. When Santa asked Gia what she wanted for Christmas, she looked at him sincerely and said, "It's a secret."
Gianna recently started playing Sound Sorting Beginning Sound on my iPad, which the reading specialist I work with at school recommended. In a week or two, she has become awesome at matching the sounds. I love watching her work through each word.
