Babies' First Christmas

I don't even know where to begin. The past few days have been a whirlwind of family, friends and milestones.

It started Friday afternoon with our first Christmas celebration with Scott's side of the family. The gifts were a hit, but the wrapping paper stole the show. No toy could compare to getting to crinkle and tear and occasionally eat it.



After that, we loaded up and drove to my parents' house.

We played a little dress up…





Ate a little dinner …





And headed to bed. They slept so soundly, I briefly considered moving back in with my parents. (Just kidding, parents … for now.)

We woke up the next morning to two well-rested, happy little babies. It was a Christmas miracle!!

We weren't sure if Santa would come considering all of the naughty behavior lately, but he did and they were SO excited about what he brought them.



They (I) opened the rest of their gifts while they crinkled, tore and ate some of the wrapping paper.

After lunch, Grace zonked out and Claire didn't. Naturally. Then we loaded back up and came home to prepare for the big day on Sunday.

But more on that tomorrow. For now, I leave you with some more photos of babies' first Christmas.

O' Christmas Tree, Part III

Need to catch up? Read Part I and Part II!

We learned from our mistake last year, and lugged that tree inside before any blizzards or birthing got in our way.

Scott got his "burly man" on and carried the tree in himself.

He set it in our tree stand. Which, by the way, was an impulse buy when we purchased our very first tree in 2005. The owners of the tree farm really did a number on us. "You'll never need to buy another stand. It will last a lifetime. It's so easy to put together. You tree will look amazing. Your hair is gorgeous. Did I mention I love your coat?"

So, we caved and bought the tree stand. I think it was like $50 or something outrageous like that. It worked great the first year we used it, but then we didn't use it for a few years and well, to be honest, it's a tad complicated. With five different ropes and hooks and a pulley system, it took me some time to remember how to use it.

But I finally did, and Scott was only slightly annoyed with me as he held the tree in place until I figured it out.



We retrieved the box of decorations, opened the lid and got started.





Claire loved the idea of taking things out of the tote, so she helped, too. Including a glass snow globe. And a very breakable snowflake candle holder. I swear. Their parents really should be supervising them.



And Grace? Well, she wanted to help, too. Just as long as we were holding her.



Or letting her bang a piece of metal on the wood floor.



But their favorite part of the evening was when we forced them to take pictures with us in front of our first Christmas tree. They LOVED it.

O' Christmas Tree, Part II

For Part I in our adventurous Christmas tree series, click here.



So, we pick out our tree, call the young fellas over to "chop" it down and pay the nice old man his $35.

The young fellas throw it on top of the car and tie it down. The old man, presumably their grandfather, is instructing them where to tie it and how to tie it.



We hop in the car and head on down the road. Scott turns on the hazard lights and we toodle along a good 25 mph under the speed limit. We open up the sunroof to keep an eye on the tree and that's when I dramatically say, "Oh crap! The tree is sliding off the car!!"

We pull over. I hop out and discover that the young fellas didn't tighten the rope enough.

Here I am, on the side of the highway, dodging passing cars, trying to find a way to secure this tree when a brand new F-HUGE50 pulls up behind us. A nice older woman, wearing a John Deere stocking cap and Carhartt coveralls, gets out of the driver's side and offers some extra rope.

Together, we tighten the rope, add more rope and she ties some wicked knots.

We drive the rest of the way home with no problems.

So, yeah, girls rock.

Check back tomorrow for Part Three "Decorating The Tree ... Claire, Put That Down!!"

O' Christmas Tree, Part I

Last year, we bought a Christmas tree, lugged it home, removed it from the car and left it in the garage. Where it stayed. For about three months.

I was nearly 35 weeks pregnant and bringing the tree in to decorate was not on the top of my priority list. I was much too busy doing things like napping, eating a snickers, napping, peeing, eating some cherry pie, napping some more.

We found out on a Tuesday that I was being induced on a Saturday, which I was pretty stoked about considering I was uber uncomfortable all the time. And Christmas was on a Friday, so we would celebrate then have babies the next day. It was all going to work out perfectly!

My family was driving here for Christmas (since I couldn't travel) and I knew they would help me bring my tree in and decorate it.

Or not.

Cue the blizzard. And when I say blizzard, I'm not exaggerating about a large accumulation of snow. I mean an actual blizzard. As in, the meteorologists were calling it a blizzard.

My family was stuck at home, and we drove in to Scott's parents house, which was closer to the hospital, and holed up there until the big day.

And our poor Christmas tree sat naked, cold and lonely in our garage.

But this year, we have made amends.



It was the girls' first trip to pick out a Christmas tree, and other than being a little cold, they loved it.





Check back tomorrow for Part Two "Oh, Crap! The Tree Is Sliding Off The Car!!"

And I really mean tomorrow, I swear.