The Never-Ending Christmas

It seems like Christmas was sponsored by Energizer this year, as in "it just keeps going and going..." The girls are going to think Christmas lasts for the entire month of December!

On Monday, we received a box of gifts from Wisconsin. (I wish I had taken some video of the girls opening the box so cousin Taylor could have seen it, but I didn't think of it in time. I did, however, remember to get a few photos after the fact.)

Uncle Josh, Auntie April and Taylor sent a "High School Musical" cheerleader costume for Amanda, complete with red and white pom-poms....

Until the other day, Amanda didn't know what a cheerleader was. There's no turning back now!

And as if that weren't enough, Auntie April also knitted her a gorgeous yellow and white skirt, complete with a shiny yellow ribbon! I thought knitting was a new hobby for my sister-in-law, but you'd never guess it by looking at it. Gorgeous!

Amanda proudly models her hand-knitted skirt.

This actually brought back memories from my childhood. When I was in 4th or 5th grade, I remember having a sweater the same exact color. Our French neighbor, Cecile, had knit it for me.  In any case, this was very appreciated and Amanda loves it.

For Eva, they sent money to go toward her college fund... which is just awesome in our book! With any luck, by the time she's 18, that gift of money will have grown substantially. Thanks for everything, you guys!

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Today, yet ANOTHER box arrived from Wisconsin - this one from Uncle Jared, Auntie Pam, Brady and Ella.

Even though we all agreed on a "kids only" Christmas, they sent a book for the entire family, entitled "The Family Book: Amazing Things to Do Together."

I casually opened the book and this just happened to be the first page I came across.

I'm sure Dave will get a real kick out of that suggestion and the accompanying illustration. Maybe we can get started on this right away!?

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About a month ago, my sister-in-law called and conducted an impromptu phone interview with Amanda. I knew she was up to something, and today I found out why she had asked all of those questions.

She had put together a really creative "Cousin Directory" - a binder containing individual photos and vital statistics on each of the five cousins in our family.

The directory covered things like their favorite foods, favorite books, and what each child wants to be when they grow up. Since Eva isn't old enough to answer for herself, Amanda provided the answers for both herself AND Eva. According to Amanda, Eva wants to be a doctor when she grows up. (If that's true, we're even more grateful that Uncle Josh and Auntie April contributed toward Eva's college fund!!)

Here's a video of Amanda opening her gift while Eva napped. It speaks for itself.



Eva really liked the musical book, as well as the doll and snap-on clothes. Here's some video of her playing immediately after she opened her gifts. Check out her sad, pouty face when the music ends.



So, that should be the ‘Grand Finale’ of gift opening here at our house. Tomorrow we need to write a few more thank you notes, and then we'll be set to ring in the new year.

Tomorrow night, New Year’s Eve, Dave and I have an 8:00 dinner reservation at one of our favorite new restaurants, where we'll be dining with my brother-in-law and his fiance. It should be a nice double date, if I can just stay awake past 9:00 pm.

Happy New Year, everyone!