Christmas Celebrations!!!

 Daddy playing with new toy

 Grab a cup of coffee, cause this is a long one.....

HOHOHO, it was!  Christmas was a very merry one for us this year.  Obviously, it was the first for our little lady, Emery Elizabeth.  Wish we could say that she loved it, but she didn't have a clue.  However, her parents loved every minute of it and she'll love looking hearing the stories and looking at the pictures one day.  A couple weeks before Christmas, my Grandma and Emery's Great Grandma, was in a Christmas play at Providence Retirement home.  She played an angel and it was honestly the best christmas play of the season!  The couple who played Mary and Joseph were actually married and the show was also filled with a 99 year young man who played the harmonica.  It was really a heartwarming day!  And of course, Great Grandma got to hold eep afterwards.

Great Grandma and EEP after the play

Angel Shirley

Linley with her Dora jammies

The Sunday before Christmas, we headed out to the Belchers house for soup and to exchange gifts with the kids.  Emery got 2 super cute (aren't all baby clothes!?) outfits and a fun learning toy from Linley (and her parents, of course!)

 Christmas week was fun...Emery and I went out to the Lage's new house and enjoyed hanging out with the Garmon and Day boys and Lage and Belcher girls.  I meant to get a picture of all the cute kids together, but forgot.  Ellie and Ashtyn gave Emery her own BIG baby.  This is a doll that Ashtyn and Ellie have and everytime I see it, it amuses me way too much.  So, they thought that eep needed her own BIG baby.  I must admit, BIG baby is a little creepy.  I'm sure she will provide hours of entertainment for Emery though, once she can hold onto her!

BIG baby and Emery

Amber and Emery

Amber stopped by for a visit, as well during Christmas week.  She made lunch for us and played Santa with another cute outfit for Emery...and a matching "e" hairbow that is too cute to boot!  I also received a super special gift from the Duke family...a necklace that had "emery" stamped on one charm, her birthdate stamped on another and then her birthstone hanging from another.  Definitely something I will cherish forever.  I think that I may turn it into a bracelet though because Patrick surprised me with a gorgeous mother's necklace on Christmas morning.  It was a white gold setting with an emerald (my stone) and a sapphire (eep's stone).  I must say I was pretty impressed (and emotional!!). 

Christmas Eve was at our house with Nana, Aunt Sarah, Great Grandma and "Aunt" Shel.  Shrimp cocktail and spinach salad has been a Childress tradition on Christmas Eve for years.  We mixed it up a little and did 2 yummy pasta dishes this year, thanks to my swank sister, Sarah!  EEP got her first piece of luggage from Nana, an elf on the shelf (named Snickle Fritz) from Aunt Sarah, a glow seahorse (modern day glow worm) from "Aunt" Shel, just to mention a few items...OH!!  Sarah got the family a zoo membership, as well.  We can't wait to spend many spring, summer and fall days strolling the zoo.  We'd love to have friends and family join us, so keep us in mind if you're heading to the zoo.

Christmas night was a HUGE success on the sleeping front for our little one.  She fell asleep on Aunt Sarah early on and then was transferred to her crib at 10p.  Slept until 415a, woke up to eat and then back down until 830a.  Patrick and I were able to wake up and have "our" christmas!  She awoke and we put her on the couch with all of her "santa" goods, stocking, snickle fritz and her special blanket that I made for her!

Her big gift was a kick-n-play piano that we can attach to her crib and she can kick and make noise and watch the lights.  Patrick got Emery and I the Willow Tree "Angel of Mine" figurine, which is a mom holding her infant child.  The blanket!!  I used the onesie that Emery had her hospital picture taken in and appliqued it to the green polka dot flannel fabric.  Then, I put all of her birth stats underneat the applique.  The backside of the blanket is a minky cupcake fabric that is super soft.  I wanted to make her something special to commemorate her first Christmas and that she can hold onto forever, hopefully!! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EMERY ELIZABETH!

Grandma, Grandpa and eep

Christmas dinner with Aunt Sarah & Great Grandma

We headed to Patrick's parents for Christmas breakfast and to have Christmas with them.  That is always a yummy meal and everyone receives some nice gifts, to say the least!  We spent Christmas evening at my mom's house for a ham dinner and then home to bed cause we were all zonked!!  The day after Christmas, we went to Patrick's Aunt Donna's house for a breakfast and then headed out to my Aunt Janice's house for lunch and to exchange gifts.  I was excited to get a baby food cookbook, as I am planning on making eep's food in the next few months.  To say the least, this Christmas season has been WONDERFUL, AMAZING and just plain SUPER for our family.  We hope that your family had a wonderful season, as well!  It can definitely be an emotional time as we will have loved ones that we miss (my Dad, especially!!) but it's important to remember that they are with us and celebrating in spirit and truth be told, they are in the better place!!  Love and best wishes to you all for a blessed 2011!!

The BEST present we got this year!