Natalie didn't have to dream of a white Christmas.

Another Christmas has come and gone.  This one seemed a bit different for some reason. Also, our living room looks like someone set off a toy bomb.  That must be the work of a new child in the family.

Natalie dealt with all 5 Christmases like a trooper.  While it always took a her some time to figure out what was going on, she got into the unwrapping of gifts without difficulty.  Like any almost 2 yo, she was easily distracted by the toy in hand and didn't want to move on to the next gift.  We had to distract her for a minute and take the toy away so she would move on.  I felt kind of guilty about that because it was like "look at all these great things your are getting, now were are going to take them away."  It was all good when they resurfaced though. Now, on to the good stuff.

The picture below is Natalie walking down the "catwalk" in her new boots.  This was taken Christmas morning.  She got the boots from her Aunt Brandi and Uncle Landon the day before.  She insisted on putting them on first thing in the morning with her footed pajamas.  I think she looked like an astronaut for some reason.

Next is a video of Natalie not quite grasping what to do with her gifts just yet.

Once she figured it out, she loved the tea pot.  She got two tea sets and loves them both.  She walks around serving tea for several hours a day.  I see that as a sign that she is ready to start working and contributing some income to the household.

More shots of toys.  We are working on the concept that this stick is only for hitting the xylophone, not the cat, table, or whatever else is in sight.

She loves anything "Ni Hao Kai-Lan."  Just ask her cousin.  She tried her best to steal her Kai-Lan toy from her.  The picture below is her new ride along.  The poor dinosaur from previous videos has gone extinct like his brethren.

Finally, a video of some holiday cookie decorations.  Aunt Brandi baked some cookies for the kids to decorate and leave out for Santa.  You will see, they all did an excellent job.

It really was a wonderful Christmas as Amy and I finally had the "gift" we had been wanting for so long.  I have said it before, but it doesn't stop being true, this girl has changed our lives so dramatically and we wouldn't want it any other way.  She makes us smile, cry, and pull our hair out, but she is awesome beyond belief.

It is pretty special

last year i got Amy an ornament for Christmas. it read "i will hold you in my heart until i can hold you in my arms." we certainly had hope, but didn't really think it was possible that the next Christmas would be so much more special. we can hold her in our arms now and we couldn't be happier.

Natalie going to town on her first ever gift wrapped Christmas present.

i hope you can figure out who put this outfit together. those would be her pajamas, her tutu (a gift from her great aunt), and cat hat. she is also holding a gift bag that she likes to pretend is a shopping bag. if we are missing items around the house, it is a good idea to check there.

i promise to put up some Christmas pics very soon after the festivities. we have about 4 Christmases and they should all be very fun and a new adventure. Merry Christmas everyone. Have a safe and very happy holiday!

"No."

While Amy was holding Natalie last night I attempted to lean in and give Amy a kiss and Natalie would have no part of it. She actually put her hand to my face and pushed me away. Great, now I have two women rejecting my affection.

I will get some pictures up again at some point, but I just wanted to drop a note. Natalie is doing pretty well (just a few sleep issues really and that is all). She had a great Thanksgiving with her family. She seemed to really enjoy herself. She is a big fan of traditional Thanksgiving food.

The Christmas tree is up and she is doing a great job of being gentle with it. She really doesn't want to bother it much unless Ma Ma is "playing" with the ornaments too. No presents under it yet, so we will see how that goes.