Lap, Lap, Lap! Lights, Lights, Lights!

Whew...we can relax now that it is the holiday break. Oh wait, we still have to do most of the shopping, wrapping, send the cards out and get ready for a visit to our family in San Francisco! I hope this post is finding you all well and that you are all better prepared than we are! Oh well, maybe next year we will be better at handling the holidays.

Even thought things will be in a bit of a rush, I am still looking forward to our first Christmas with Joy. She has already had a few gifts come her way, mostly from some very sweet parents at school. We figured it would be better to let her open one each day, instead of all at once on Christmas Day. The only problem with that plan is that she is expecting a "prise" each day now. Opps!

Something new that I really love is that she finally enjoys sitting on our laps. She likes to be read to now and even wanted her nighttime bottle on my lap in the glider chair. I guess we may use it again after all. In a way, I feel like after the flu she had two weeks ago, she has become more attached to us.

Our neighborhood is all aglow with sparkling lights and holiday decorations and Joy LOVES them. When we go out at night, she repeats again and again, "Mah Lots!!!" (Translation: MORE LIGHTS DADDY, YOU KEEP DRIVING UNTIL I SEE ALL OF THE HOLIDAY LIGHTS IN EXISTENCE!) So, tonight we went to a special light store to get some special "LOTS" that happen to be in the shape of Santa, snowmen, a nutcracker and a bear. We thought we would hit the jackpot, but it seems that she has more subdued tastes and prefers the plain old lights on a string. She peeked out the door and and was not impressed!

The photos above are from last weekend, when Joy participated in her first "Christmas Pageant" (singing "Jingle Bells", actually just jingling the bells) for her preschool and a lovely visit with Grandma and Grandpa Ruppert!

Since this is a busy time, and in case we don't post again, we wish you all the happiest of holidays!