The Aftermath...

And, dun, dun, dun...January is upon us--creeping up swiftly and amidst the aftermath of another Holiday season laid to rest. As always we are adjusting from our annual bout of holiday hiccups. After the croup, new teeth, much traveling, many parties, late nights and interrupted nap schedules, we are almost back on track--thank goodness! For awhile there I was afraid Lily was done with naps altogether--a toddler's mother's bad dream. After refusing to nap until extremely late in the day, I decided that maybe I could skip the nap and put her down MUCH earlier for bed. Sounds brilliant, right? WRONG! Not only did she not take a nap but she decided that bedtime wasn't for her either. I guess that extra adrenalin pumping in her veins as a result of trying to keep herself awake from lack of a nap was to blame. (or something like that). I've decided that regular schedules are such a blessing....sanity is such a nice thing.

We did have a nice Christmas, birthday and New Year. Lily really started to catch on to the holiday excitement, and we had a tough time convincing her to go to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Andrew: "It's time to go to sleep, Lily..."

Lily: "Santa's coming...he's bringing presents..."

Andrew: "he can't come if you're awake, so shut your eyes."
(Lily shuts her eyes while trying to appear as if she's going to sleep, but it still takes another hour or so before she truly falls asleep.) Oh the joys of being young and innocent and believing! It reinvents the Christmas spirit for us as parents. So fun!

The next morning Lily was quick to dump out all our stockings. The chocolate was a hit and was immediately opened and consumed--so much for a wholesome breakfast... and every time she opened another pair of socks ( I wrapped up 6 pairs individually--hey, it's the unwrapping part that's the most fun, right?), she acted as if it was the best thing in the world.

New DVDs! "I watch a DVD, Mom?"

Zoe wasn't left out of the fun either, although Lily was far too impatient for Zoe to open ALL her presents by herself. She was a good 'helper'.

we enjoyed visits to Grandma and Grandpa Allred's and Great-Grandma Austin's houses for more presents and good food and family. Then, after a couple of flight delays, we got to pick up 'Papa Fedor' from the airport. He stayed with us for our birthday, which we celebrated with all my siblings who came over for a belated Christmas get-together with my dad. It was nice. We are very spoiled. He stayed with my sister down in Herriman for a few days until my little brother Carter's Eagle court of honor on the 30th. Then we got him all to ourselves until he had to leave to go back to Kansas City on the 3rd. We love you so much, Dad/Papa!

Here's the happy family celebrating another year older and wiser...or something like that.

Oh, and as a side note, we finally finished the basement (or atleast all the major stuff). THere's still some painting and finishing work to do, but it's useable and is such a relief to have done.

Here's to an optimistic 2008!