First we celebrated at my dad and stepmom Nancy's. Ellison tried lasagna for the first time and loved it! She also met her first two cats and really liked them. She was chasing them all over the house! Not sure they liked it quite as much as she did. I forgot my camera (what a bummer) so I have no pictures until my dad or sister sends me theirs! Ells got a frog pillow that she thought was very funny from Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Nancy, and an Elmo book and pajamas from Auntie Kon and Uncle Ryan.
Next on the Christmas circuit was a surprise appearance at Graham family Christmas at my grandma's. Jay and I both had to work on the Sunday before Christmas so we weren't planning on going, but I rearranged my pre-work napping schedule so we could stop in for a little bit. I got in on the annual Graham kid stair picture and Ellison opened some presents. She laughed her sarcastic laugh (nicknamed the courtesy laugh) at everything she opened. My aunt Tina made her a beautiful sweater, she got some new clothes from my aunt Missy and Great Grandma, and a Minnie Mouse from Great Grandma and Joe's Disney World trip. And I got a doll that was mine at Grandma's, so now Ellison has one of my old stuffed friends. Fun!
Ellison's very own "stair picture - a Graham family tradition!
Christmas Eve we went to church. We go to church almost every week, and it seems like Ellison gets more active each week. She jabbers constantly and laughs at people sitting around us, and goes back and forth between Jay and myself constantly. During this particular service she laughed at the people behind us (apparently men with beards are hilarious!) and was poking at my cousin Jackson when she wasn't pointing and laughing at strangers. There were lit candles involved which she wanted to grab. Just overall an exhausting experience!
Christmas Eve dress!
After we got home and ate dinner and gave Ells her bath, she got to open one special present. My sister and I always got new Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve, and I want to continue that tradition with Ellison in the future, but she had so many Christmas pajamas this year that we decided to start a new tradition! Every year she will get a new Christmas book to add to her (huge) Christmas book collection. This year she got one called "Room for a Little One", which is about the birth of Jesus, from the animals in the stable's point of view. Very nice book! We read that and The Night Before Christmas and then off to bed Ellison went so Jay and I could do our Santa duties! There was quite a bit of wrapping that needed to be done, so we had snacks and watched our favorite Christmas movie (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation). It was a really nice night! Hopefully we will get to repeat it on future Christmas Eves (hoping I won't be working too many but I know it will happen sometimes and it makes me so sad!).
Reading The Night Before Christmas with Daddy!
Christmas morning Ellison got up and got to open some presents before church. I was so nervous about going because it was at 9 am, around the time she usually naps. But she behaved very well! She looked around at all the other kids (she seems mesmerized by other small people) and then fell asleep in Jay's arms. I can't remember the last time she fell asleep in church!
First look at the tree with presents underneath
Crawled into a gift box!
Before her nap, Ellison opened some more presents! Her favorite as she was opening seemed to be the talking tea set. The teapot has an accent and she thought it was hilarious. The majority of the toys she got as gifts talk, sing, and light up. The songs are all running through my head constantly, but she seems to love them all so I think we can handle it!
Sure, just crawl right over...
After her nap Ells finished up opening her presents. Between her three times opening, she got clothes, lots of books, a CD of Sunday school songs, a Little People Farm, the Elefun ball popper, and some other toys too. We haven't opened everything yet and I don't know if we will for awhile. I figure if we bring new things out one or two at a time, she will think she's getting new toys all the time! After her last crack at gifts, we packed up and headed to Valders for Miller family Christmas.
She doesn't really sit still for books, but she loves to play with them!
Love her :)
We got to Valders just in time for dinner. After dinner (delicious turkey and yummy sides!) it was present time! There are 2 more grandchildren this year (Ellison and Olivia), bringing the total to 5. Our oldest nephew (Logan, 5) was pretty antsy to get opening so everyone dug in! I think the whole process lasted about 10 minutes! Ellison got more nice gifts...a book and Charlie Brown DVD from Grandma and Grandpa, a ball drop toy from Auntie Rach, a talking picnic basket from Uncle Brian, Auntie Litz, Isabella, and Olivia, and her very own grill from Uncle Brian, Auntie Shell, Logan, and Ethan. She is a very lucky little girl to have so many people who love (and spoil) her!!!
Well...we tried! Not one kid looking at the camera! Hopefully someone got a better version! Olivia (3 weeks), Isabella (2 years), Ethan (2 years), Logan (5 years), and Ellison (10 months)
Her own grill! Daddy will have a grilling buddy this summer!
Favorite toy at Grandma and Grandma Miller's house!
Ellison was pretty tired after opening gifts but was having a really hard time falling asleep...probably because she wanted to play with all of her new toys! I ended up falling asleep with her for a couple of hours and then she was up and sassy most of the night. Poor Jay spent the night trying to get her to fall asleep and it didn't really work. Ellison apparently doesn't fall asleep well in places that aren't super familiar. The same thing happened the last time we spent a night in Valders! Poor peanut (and Daddy).
We left for home after breakfast the morning after Christmas because I had to work that night. I can't believe how fast Christmas came and went! But we still had two more Christmases to go...
Quick piano lesson with Grandpa before we left for home
Haven't uploaded the pictures from tonight yet, but we have one more Christmas with Gramma Janis and Grampa Ron tomorrow so I'll post them when I post the details on that!
Here's some other recent pictures, because I didn't post enough Christmas ones...ha!
Showing off her crawling skills
Happiest girl in the world!
Her hair is just too funny...getting SO long (I refuse to cut it, at least for now)
In her hideout under the coffee table, I keep wondering what she'll do when she can't sit up under there?!
Spaghetti MESS!!!!
My little wild child...crawled under the bottom rail, sat up, and this is how she got back out
With Mommy right before I left for work on the 23rd (in my holiday best!)
Managed to crawl into her car seat without tipping it over! And SO proud of herself! She amazes us with new tricks daily
Playing with some of her Christmas books (there are 50+ from Mommy and Auntie Kon's childhood!)
Hope that was long enough and contained enough pictures! I just can't say enough or post enough photos of this amazing little girl! She is such an amazing gift and she made this Christmas the best one ever!
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