Merry Christmas to Grandma Rose

Santa came, Santa came! He brought M&Ms, my favorite! I wanted to eat them right then and there. It was 6:30am!

 Strawberry Lip Smackers! She has fallen in love with Chapstick, thanks to her Nana. She basically smoothers her face in the strawberry flavor. 

 Thank you, Santa, for my new dress up bracelets!

Grandma left Kate a few things by Santa's gifts. Who knew that Kate loved Dora so much?!?

Kate made Grandma tea on Christmas morning before church.

 We asked Kate to stand in front of the Christmas tree for a picture in her Christmas dress. Guess where she wanted to stand... in front of her easel and in praying stance. She loves to pray. We do it about 2-3 times before/during every meal. 

  Oh... peekaboo...

How big is Kate?!?

 Finally in front of the tree

  Praying stance with Grandma in front of the tree

Christmas Eve with Grandma Rose!

This year we spent Christmas with Grandma Rose in Mitchell. First thing when we arrived - lunch! Grandma introduced me to jello with fruit. It was yummy in my tummy! "Mo.. Mo"

We can't forget about her very first bite of Grandma Rose's Apple Pie. She truly enjoyed eating it. I think I am doomed... Tony used to get pies every Saturday morning - fresh pie crust and all. 

The new easel she received from Jeff and Jenn kept her plenty busy. 

Kate loved watching Grandma's snowmen light up and change colors. 

Kate had fun hamming it up for Grandma. All of these pictures were so great I couldn't resist sharing them all. 

 Kate loved getting measured by Grandma. She would bring the yard stick to Grandma and point at the drawer to get her pencil out. Grandma loved every minute of it. 

Playing with Baby Jesus in the manger. 

Merry Christmas!

Aunt Lois and Cousin Roger joined us for Christmas Eve dinner

 Lovin' up Great Aunt Lois

Ahh... a new fleece blankie from Grandma. Kate was SO excited she let out a screech. 

 A mini pillow pet from Mommy and Daddy

 My Aunt Syl always knows how to pick the gifts! Jungle Glove Puppets! 

Christmas with the Thompsons

Ho, Ho, Ho... Now that Christmas has come, Kate says, "Ho, Ho, Ho" when she sees a Santa.

Kate warmed up to Uncle Jeff on this trip and learned a few things from him. Sticking her tongue out was the first thing he started with. 

Kate had a ball with Great Grandma Georgia. They played with dishtowels on their head and ate chocolate.

 Kate had no problem opening Christmas presents. She enjoyed tearing the paper. She was even unwrapping what Tony gave me for Christmas, as we were loading the car to go to Nana and Papa's house. 

Nana made Kate a kitchen sink, stove, and refrigerator for Christmas. She loves to pretend bake and cook, so it was the perfect gift. My favorite part is watching her use the toaster handle as her soap dispenser before she uses the sink to wash her hands. 

Jeff and Jenn gave Kate an easel with a magnetic board and chalkboard. She absolutely loves it! I have a feeling she will spend many hours playing with it. 

 Jeff and Kate had fun putting it together. 

Kate is into giving hugs now and told everyone thank you for her gifts. 

She even knows how to lean in for a kiss too. Forget about giving the kisses. She just wants them. 

Kate decided she wanted to try Carlee's Fruit Loops right out of Carlee's bowl. Carlee would ask Kate, "Which color?" Kate would point at the color, while swirling the milk with her pointer finger, and Carlee would feed it to her. Very sweet!

A visit from Aunt Fannie and Uncle Boobie

Aunt Fannie and Uncle Boobie (Stacy and Tim) were in town for the holidays. They stopped over for pizza and a run around the house with Kate. Don't ask me where their names originated from... we just go with it :) Kate LOVED them and was sad to see them go!

Christmas Party with the Chervenys

While Kate was at Great Grandma Kathy's, we went to a holiday party at the Cherveny's. It has been a long time since we've all gotten together for the holidays. 

Tony's ex-wife... Chris and Tony were technically married by common law of living together for 7 years. 

A few of the ladies

Half of the crew...

2nd Annual Macy's 8th Floor Christmas Display

Kate was really into Macy's 8th Floor Christmas Display this year. She was amazed by all of the moving displays and loved the animation. She had no problem standing in front of the sign at the entrance to snap a photo. 

I am not sure if the singing Christmas trees freaked her out or got her excited. 

 She had the pointer going with all of the reindeer in the stable.

 With as much as she loves to pretend bake and cook, I think this was her favorite part of the whole display. 

 We decided that the third time seeing Santa would not be the charm, so we skipped it and hit Mrs. Claus' Bakery. 

Mmm... Sugar cookie with sugar frosting. Just what she needed for the ride home to keep her awake and happy. 

Pre-Christmas Visit

Nana and Papa took me to see my Great Grandma Kathy on December 13th. We surprised her when she answered the door. She had no idea that I was part of the visit when we showed up!

I had her wrapped around my little pinky in no time... Look at that smile...

She read/sang "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" just like she did in the cassette tape she made me. It was even better in person!

I loved watching myself star in the videos on my blog. Papa showed them to me over and over until I stopped saying "more."

When we met Mommy and Daddy in Albert Lea, Grandma and Dave surprised them by coming along to have lunch. It made Mommy's day to get to see her Granny! Thank you, Nana and Papa, for taking me on the trip!