Merry Christmas!

Rainbows are festive, right?!

Happy Holidays! I'm happy to report that we had such a nice first Christmas with the kiddo! Regardless of the fact that Izaak had no idea what was going on, he seemingly had a wonderful time tearing into brightly colored paper and chewing/slobbering on the contents. We got to spend the weekend with Joe’s parents and grandfather in Myrtle Beach and everyone was thoroughly spoiled! Izaak really raked it in; he got tons of new clothes and toys including his own Sesame Street fold-out mini couch, Radio Flyer red wagon and tricycle, a train toy that teaches counting and the alphabet, a learning toy with a monkey that you can make dance using a joystick, a Glo-Worm, a big pillow-like stuffed Owl, Santa diapers and baby food, savings bonds, some ornaments for the tree, monkey dishware, much needed hooded towels and washcloths, a Nike jogging suit, many pairs of new, footed pajamas, a bunch of outfits from Carter’s, a really soft “lovey” with a frog’s head and satin underside, amongst other great gifts that I’m not remembering at the moment.

"Rip it open already, sheesh!"

My “big gift” from Joe: a jogging stroller that we found on Craigslist!! Granted, the thing is 10 years old and has had already had plenty of use, it works fine and was only 20 bucks! Though it isn’t the prettiest thing, it rides smoothly and does the job. Would I like one of those fancy $600 BOB strollers? Of course (duh)! Do I need one or could even fathom justifying us spending so much on a stroller? No way! I will however, be on the lookout for an upgrade, we can always put this one right back up on Craigslist!! Some of my other received gifts: cold hard cash, Amazon.com gift cards (hello, Star Wars Complete Bluray Saga!!), a set of automatic trash cans (they open when you wave your hand over the lid!) and some other stuff for the kitchen. I must be an adult now because I was genuinely excited about getting cutting boards, a new peppermill, a mortar and pestle, and the above mentioned garbage cans!!

"Is the bow on my head necessary?"

Even though I am short on “free time” these days, I tried to give personal gifts this year. We had family portraits taken by our friend at the beach earlier this month and I framed some 8x10’s. I also made some photo books for the grandparents using pictures taken since Izee was born. Joe and I acid-etched a glass beer mug for his grandfather. When we couldn’t come up with a decent personal gift, we resorted to the tried and true solution: gift cards!! All in all, we’ve had a wonderful year and can’t wait to see what the next year brings!