Christmas

Well, the parade of family is still happening, but I should write about the past few days before I forget. And before it gets to be an extremely long blog!

Christmas Eve:

Marley and I worked until almost 11 am. We literally had NO ONE come into the office! So, I we went home, took a nap, a shower, and ate. At two, we headed to Asa's mother's house. She had some food for us there and presents! We had missed Christmas at Asa's grandmother's house the day before, so we had even more presents to open! Marley took a little nap and then was ready for the action. I actually "practiced" opening a present with her the night before. I know. I'm weird. So, she was a pro by the time she had to open some in front of people. I sat her between my legs and helped her open the presents. She had no idea what was going on, but she really liked the wrapping paper. She got one gift that was in a large box. I set it on my lap and she looked really cute behind it. She got lots of toys. I asked people for toys since she has several places that need them. And she got a lot! She also got a few books, some clothes, and some other random stuff. She did really well with opening the presents. I would tear off a little piece and then she would hold it while I moved the present up, pulling off the paper. It worked great! Asa's step-dad, Lewis, built him a dutch oven stand for cooking over a fire. He made it with his own two hands. I think it's pretty impressive!After the presents were open and the kids had played a little while, it was time to head to my mom's. Asa's sister, Emily, came with us and we had a great time. Mimi and Papa Gene came into town for Christmas, so they were there. We ate chicken spaghetti and Mimi brought every dessert she ran into on the way here from Austin. It was fun to blend the two families. Even if it was only one member of Asa's family and she had hung out with most of my family members before, it felt really good to have all of us there together. I wish it could happen more often. We watched a little bit of A Christmas Story. I have never seen the entire movie all the way through, and I didn't get to fix that this year. Maybe I will have Asa download it on the computer and watch it sometime in the next couple of days. When we were leaving that night, I realized that I had no idea where my phone was. But, I figured it would show up and left anyway.

Marley was asleep really quickly after we got home. I decided that Asa and I should do our stocking for each other since they had been sitting full in the living room for a few days. We had a nice time doing something together and it was fun to see what he had picked out for me. I got some really cozy and soft socks, scrapbooking stuff, my very own flashlight (!), and a step-counter. I got Asa some wipes for fishing, Whoppers (the candy, not the burger), a bandanna, a meat injector (yea, that's a weird gift), a funnel... stuff he wants when we go to the store, but we never get. I had three things that I couldn't fit in his stocking, so I took them to my mom's really quickly that night for her to put in his stocking at her house. Then, we passed out with Marley next to us. I was really excited, even though Marley couldn't really tell what was happening.

Christmas:

Asa and I woke up early, took showers, and got ready for the day. I was really worried since Marley likes to sleep until 10 in the morning now. We needed to get her up earlier than that and I didn't want it to ruin the day. We did wake her up though, got her dressed and ready for our own little Christmas. Santa filled Marley's stocking and brought her her own basket with a few toys in it. I sat her between my legs again and went through everything with her. Asa filmed and took pictures for a while and then we switched. She participated by eating the paper and giving me lots of smiles and laughs. She seemed to really like the stocking part. She was paying attention and wanting to touch everything I pulled out. She looked genuinely happy about what was going on! We gave her a couple of toys from us and the clothes I had been gathering for a couple of months. It was very emotional for me to actually do something as a family like this. We have been creating memories for almost 5 months, but Christmas is so special. I couldn't help but think about all the future Chirstmases we will have together and how exciting they will be!

Next, we headed to my mom's. When we got there, half of the people were still sleeping and Joel was making breakfast. We ate and then it was present time! First of all, my mom bought each of us a stocking with our names on them! It was so nice too see Asa and Marley with their own stockings! Marley was ready her morning nap by the time we got to presents, so she slept with me for a little while and then with Mimi while I opened my presents. That meant that when Marley woke up just as everyone was finishing, all eyes were on us. We had seven adoring fans watching us open presents. Marley really is good at performing for a crowd though. She smiled and talked her way through it while Asa and Uncle Chris took pictures of everything. She hammed it up.

She got tons of toys and lots of clothes from everyone! We also got a nice basket to sit in the living room and house all of her toys. Her favorite toy was actually a ball that you can see in the next set of pictures. She can grab it really well and keep a hold on it while she chews on it! Every girl's dream! It was also fun to see how much Emily and Chris really love her. They were fascinated with everything she did and Emily wanted to help with every step while Chris took pictures of everything. It made me want to cry when I thought about how much a baby brings people together and makes people happy. My mom is also going to start a tradition of giving Marley an ornament each year for Christmas. Then, one day when she moves out of my house and has her own Christmas tree, she has 18 years worth of ornaments to decorate with. I think that is such a neat idea! I love spending Christmas with my family. This one was really special for me since it was the first one with Marley and I loved every minute of it.

So, after presents Marley and my mom took a nap together while I tried to get Chris to explain to me how to make my camera take good picture without the flash. I know it is possible because this camera was so damn expensive that it better be. But all the pictures without flash come out blurry. He helped me out, so hopefully we will have some better pictures to show now!

Next was Asa's dad's house. We showed up and ate lunch with everyone. We all hung out outside for a while and Marley took another nap. (It seems like she is sleeping through the day when I explain this, but the naps only lasted for 20 - 30 minutes tops.) Then, it was present time again! They do this thing where everyone gets one present and then you go around in a circle and take turns opening presents. This was hard since everyone is watching me and I don't like being put on the spot. But, I managed and we all got what we had asked for. Marley got more toys, I got gift cards, and Asa got a drill and money for boots. Marley didn't really help as much at this house since she was tired already from the day. She just sat there while I waved her gifts in front of her. Then she got fussy. After a little while of no one being able to please her, I said goodbye and went back to mom's house for dinner.

We had a HUGE prime rib roast that was 17 pounds! It was so delicious! Marley got to spend some more quality time with my Mimi and mom. Marley finally got really mad that we were not at home, so we had to leave. I think it was the most time she has spent away from home. She's a home-body. She fell asleep immediately. Asa and I took down the tree and put it in the woods behind our apartment. The tree has been dead since the day we got it, so I was pretty sick of it. We packed up our Christmas stuff and were amazed at how much more room we have in the living room without a tree in the middle of it! Then we crashed.

Day after Christmas:

My mom called at 10 and said that Mimi and Papa Gene were about to leave. So, we headed over to their house to say goodbye. We ate breakfast and said goodbye to Mimi and Papa. We were sitting at the table with Marley and my mom and Joel when Marley went at a bag of fudge. She was literally scooting and whining until she got to it and then sucking the heck out of the bag. She couldn't taste it, but she could definitely smell it. She even got mad when we tried to take it away from her. She's already a chocoholic. Then, we headed to Wal Mart to waste time until we can go to Asa's mom's house for our stockings. I was really glad Mimi and Papa got to come. They love Marley and I know Marley is going to love them. We ended up buying some crap at Wal Mart, nothing really important. Then, we went out to Donna's house to get the stocking she had for the three of us. Marley got a really nice blanket that will be perfect for playing on. We also got a couple of books and a few lotions and stuff for me. Since we were not there for their Christmas on Christmas morning, it was important for us to get out there to see her.

On the way home, we found out that my Aunt Julie, Uncle Andy, and cousins Jack and Alex were coming tonight! So, they got here this evening and we all had dinner at my mom's. They brought us gifts, but Marley could not stay long enough for us to open them tonight. Marley opened hers earlier in the night though. I forget what it's actual name is, but it is this cool toy that has smaller toys hanging off the sides of it. We could tell she loved it since she was trying to shove it in her mouth.

So, tomorrow we will spend more time with them and then Sunday Grandma Karen and Grandpa David are coming and it is my mom's birthday. Marley is going to be pooped.