Christmas Preparations

So we had our gingerbread houses ready, but we needed to get the rest of our own house ready for the arrival of Santa. And this was truly the year that Callie knew exactly what was going on. She was very excited about Santa and we listened to a lot of Christmas music throughout the entire month.

The first step was selecting our tree. For the fifth year in a row we headed down Richmond Road to a Christmas tree lot full of the finest pine trees in town. The family who runs the operation are wonderful folks and we enjoy supporting their efforts. It's a Christmas tree lot that actually has quite a bit of holiday cheer, which we enjoy. Our selection didn't take very long at all, and we were all happy about the tree we selected. This is the first year, though, that Callie spotted the little trees they have on the lot and wondered why she couldn't have one of her own.

With the tree purchased it was now time to put on John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas and break out the boxes filled with all of the decorations. As you can see, Reese particularly enjoyed the Santa hat we found from last year.



That picture definitely captures Reese's spirit. She is a whole lot of fun and is full of energy. Fortunately, she also learned to be very good around the Christmas tree. We taught her to wave at the ornaments instead of pulling on them. Surprisingly enough, this strategy worked and there were no incidents of broken ornaments. However, the same cannot be said for snow globes. Reese managed to break two of them in the lead up to Christmas.


Callie continues to expand her tree decorating skills. This year she was a big help. Although it was still necessary to adjust the spacing of ornaments after she went to bed, it was not as bad as previous years. And she loved asking about the different ornaments and where they came from. Of course, she also has a special place in her heart for the felt ornament made by Nana Banana of Callie Doggie.




For the second year in a row we received an invitation to the Grins and Giggles gathering with Santa at our friends Ann-Philips and Jay's house. Last year's picture had a reluctant Callie and a very pregnant Sarah. We are happy to say that Sarah slimmed down for this year's photo. However, Callie was not even willing to enter the same room as the jolly old elf and Reese clearly was less than pleased by the whole situation. It did not go well. But that was just about Santa. We all enjoyed the rest of the evening and can't wait for next year.


Because we weren't able to get a picture of the girls in their new Christmas dresses with Santa, we went for the next best thing. A picture with their loving mother in front of the decorated Christmas tree.



You can see that they certainly enjoyed this photo opportunity far more than being forced to sit on the lap of a strange man with a beard. We'll have to keep that in mind.


More than a year after Reese entered Callie's life, the adoration and love remains strong, vibrant, and intense. If Reese is in the room, Callie wants to be next to her, behind her, or on top of her. She wants to hug her, kiss her, tickle her, pick her up, and entertain her. And as Reese has grown, she has begun to do more than just tolerate her older sister. She loves giving her hugs and playing with her. We know that this is just the beginning.