December (Christmas) Recap 1

So on this the last day of January i am finally getting Christmas pictures up. Usually I hate to see Christmas go, but this year it seemed like it would not end. Perhaps it was the Christmas music continually played at the airport days and days after new year. Then the whirlwind of being gone for two weeks and coming back with an awful cold and into a solo production week. But none of that diminished and awesome Christmas season. 

We started the Christmas season by decorating our tree on Thanksgiving weekend. The next weekend we headed out to Grandma's place to decorate Grandma's house. 
Lea decorating Grandma's tree.

Lea and Grandma decorating the tree. What a sweet pair.


The next weekend Mommy, Daddy and Lea headed out to the Fair Park Christmas Festival of Lights. There were several animated twinkle light decorations. But the best part (as well as the loudest) was a tent set up by Home Depot that had free wood projects. We selected a tool box (that we now keep crayons in). We put it together there among the hammering and kiddo noise. Lea learned the hardest lesson of carpetry — don't let your thumb meet the hammer. But we got a free tool box!

Lea and Daddy working on the tool box.



What we didn't know at the time was there was also a rap concert as part of a Kwanzaa Festival and a Girl Scout Jamboree. The Girl Scouts didn't cause us any problem, however there was trouble at the rap concert. There was a shooting at the concert and a fight outside the parking lots. The roads were shut down as the police searched for the shooter. Whoever got shot survived. We just knew that the traffic was terrible and no one in the parking lot was moving. No one was getting out, so we hauled our cookies back across the park to eat at the Old Mill Inn. Not as quaint as it sounds, but it was edible and we were starved. That is where a police officer chatting it up with the staff shared her brief version of the shooting. "Oh, yes there was a shooting, BUT you've nothing to worry about." GREAT. So we got the heck out of there.
Lea and Mommy at the Christmas Shooting after Mommy walked the length of Fair Park three times. Note tool box in Mommy's hand.

We then took the long way back and toured lights along Swiss avenue, but it turns out the best decorated house was just blocks from our own.
The best light show in town on Larry St., just blocks from our home.

Then on a Monday we braved the wilds of North Park Mall with Wilder and Family. Unfortunately Santa was out with the Reindeer Flu on Monday, so back we trudged on Tuesday. The kiddos didn't seem to mind, Lea and Wilder loved seeing each other. Wilder was quite the gentleman leading his lady around the mall, showing her the sights.
Wilder and Lea walking around the mall


We did finally get to see Santa. It was actually quick and painless when we mentioned we'd been there the day he was sick. The secret is to go get a number in the morning and then you get to pop into line when you return. Robert Bunch was kind enough to tag along and took the best Santa photos we've ever had!

Lea asked Santa for a doll house (encouraged highly by mommy) and a Lightening McQueen book.
Lea and Santa




And finally it was Christmas week. Lea's Great-Grandpa came on Monday before Christmas with Margarete and Tina. We had such a wonderful visit. It was so very nice having them here. 

Here is a nice picture of Tina and Lea.

Grampy and Lea


Grampy and Lea playing train.The house was filled with toys even before we opened gifts! Lea and Grampy had a good time with the alphabet train.

They also played with the work bench. All of the pieces come off with nuts and bolts. Lea showed Grampy how to take everything off and put them back... over and over and over again.

Note Lea's big present. Tina kept teasing Lea that the big present was for T-I-N-A and Lea would say "No, its L-E-A" Very cute.

And finally it was time to open presents. Tina, Margarete and Lea opening presents. Here Lea got a purple poodle purse from Tina.

Grampy opening Sock Roses from me. Yes... tube socks folded and put on stems to look like roses. Packaged in a long stem rose box.

Grandma holds a Gay Dolphin bag. We carried one of Grandma's Christmas present from Myrtle Beach in her van without her knowing it. Inside the bag are wine glasses with flamingos painted on them. But I just loved giving a bag from the Gay Dolphin gift store (see our Myrtyle Beach post).

Tina and Margarete

Lea opening baby doll from Tina. Lea also got a doll stroller and bottle from mommy.  So she was playing mommy all weekend.

  

And finally it was time to open the big present. Lea opening doll house

Lea Playing with doll house. Mommy and daddy worked pretty hard on the doll house. And Lea LOVES it. There will be a post soley about Mommy's proud doll house work, but that is for another day.
We wrote Santa a note and he wrote a very sweet note back. We left cookies (Lea told Santa when she saw him at NorthPark that she would leave him cookies.) We left our special handmade socks at our house and there weren't enough old family stockings to go around so Dan put up his own sock, something we've done in years before, but usually they are fresh clean socks. This year Lea pulled the sock off Daddy's foot and wanted to put it up. So we did. Here the stocking are hung with care, awaiting Santa.

In the morning Daddy and Grandma were the first ones  up with Lea. They were kind enough to let the family sleep in for a bit to wait to open Santa presents. Here is a picture of Daddy and Lea playing High Ho Cherry O, which Lea got from Grandma on Christmas Eve.

Finally it was time to open Santa prestents. Santa did pretty darn great! Santa brought mommy a lap top battery! Sounds pretty silly but I was so touched that he thought of it so that I could have my laptop on the plane to Chicago (we'll get to that part). Before my laptop was only good for about 40 minutes. Now its good for 4 hours! I watched videos and worked on my trip. It was super!
Lea opening Santa presents. Santa brought Lea a kitty family for the doll house. Mommy just put these silly little peg head people in the doll house. I figured they'd get tossed once we saw Santa's wonderful Kitty family, but the peg head people live happily along side the kitty family. But the Kitty Family, officially the Buttercup Family consist of Mommy, Daddy, Brother, Sister and two babies. They also came with two dogs. So yes, the Kitty family has pet dogs.

Lea also got her lightening McQueen book, a book and CD actualy, plus 5 other books on CD with books.

Some videos from Christmas.

And the rest will have to wait for another post... alas they will not all get posted in January.