Fancy-Free Life: Good Tidings We Bring!

Can I just say how much FUN it is to celebrate Christmas through the eyes of a small child? Every time we plugged in the tree or drove around looking at Christmas lights, Jesse was full of Whoa!'s and Wow!'s. I decided to decorate the tree as I normally would, because I figured I would wait and see how Jesse responded to the tree and ornaments before I started removing ornaments at the bottom. He actually does really well with the tree! He calls it the "Tiss-miss chee", and he has unplugged it 3 times altogether. :-)

He has also taken bites out of my fake popcorn garland, and he has a favorite ornament that he routinely kisses before bed. He also gives the tree a hug before bedtime. Whenever we leave the house, he waves to the tree and a stuffed snowman I have, saying "Buh-bye Chee!" "Buh-Bye Snow!"

Santa came to our house and left behind some treasures for Jesse to find on Christmas morning. The tree looked magical with all the presents underneath!

Kitty kept a watchful eye out for Santa.

Of course, when Jesse came out the hall on Christmas morning, the first thing he went for was the little bike (which was purposefully parked BEHIND his presents so it would be one of the last things he saw). And then he saw the vacuum cleaner... he LOVED that!

I had to physically sit him down with the presents to get him to open them. He caught on quickly and started tearing the paper away. He would hand each piece to me and say, "Tank-ee" (thank you).

Of course, he completely ignored the big awkwardly covered gift... had to bring his attention to that one to get him to see what was underneath :-) The Little People Sky View Race Track that has been catching his eye every time the advertisement came on TV.

In his stocking, he found a new toothbrush, mittens, a hat, a movie (Elmo in Grouchland), and flashcards. I must say, I am pretty sure this is my absolute favorite pic of Jesse from Christmas Day. He was so excited about his toothbrush :-)

Later Christmas morning, we headed to my husband's parents' house to exchange gifts and have a meal. Jesse missed that critical nap window and was a grouchster during the presents.

After lunch, Jesse and his Daddy took a 2 hour nap... and he woke up in much better spirits!

Then we headed to my parents' house for snacks and more gift exchanging!

And a visit to Nanny and Poppy's house wouldn't be complete without silly dancing!

When we left my parents' house, we drove through the memorial park in Williamsport to see all the Christmas lights. It didn't take long for Jesse to fall asleep and he was completely out by the time we got home. He went straight to his crib when we got home, and when he woke up on Friday and saw all his new toys under the tree, you would have thought it was Christmas morning all over again :-)

The days following Christmas were extraordinarily warm and beautiful (for December). We took advantage of the nice weather by going outside to play. Jesse enjoyed riding his new bike. We also took a nice walk to deliver Christmas gifts to our neighbors.

There were other family get-togethers as well throughout the holiday season. Here are some of my favorite pictures from those gatherings :-)

Yesterday, I managed to round up all of Jesse's new toys and get a picture of him sitting with all his Christmas presents. Had to bribe him with some jingle bells ornaments, but hey - I got a smile outta him! :-)