We started our break the Saturday before Christmas with our typical Saturday...Little Gym. EG loves Little Gym; she has been going since she was 10 months old. We've met so many great teachers, families, and other kids. It's been so cool to see EG grow and learn through the things she does there. She can even do a forward roll all by herself. :-)
Saturday evening, EG went to stay with Mimi while I embarked on my annual shopping trip with my Daddy. J was still in the woods hunting and picked her up after dark. Daddy and I had a wonderful time catching up, shopping, and eating at the Aberdeen Barn. Yum! I'm so glad each year we go just the two of us...it really means a lot to me that we do it each year and have since I can remember.
Sunday, we went to see Santa. See the blog post entitled "Santa Claus". It was magical.
Monday was a very special day. We are expecting our second little one, and Monday we got to go to the big anatomy ultrasound. We found out we were having a very healthy...baby. We decided to keep the gender a secret until Christmas. EG stayed with our good family friend while we were at the appointment. While J went to work, EG and I stayed with the friend catching up for awhile and then headed home to finish our Christmas baking. I made Salted Chocolate Toffee Bark for everyone for Christmas. It was easy and delicious which was a great combination. We also made gingerbread cookies in the shape of either a boy or girl for our families to open to reveal the gender. It was fun and cute. :-)
These were the bags!
On Christmas Eve, I cleaned the house. EG and I played and relaxed. J had to work a half day then came home. We got ready and went to my parents for an early Christmas Eve. EG got a whole new bedding set for her big girl room, a LeadPad Ultra, a FurReal puppy, and a Doc magnadoodle. As always, my parents spoiled her. J got a new vacuum sealer (the perfect gift for a hunter), and I got a FANTASTIC flash for my camera. I have been so excited to put it to use!
EG with her puppy...she was so excited! Grandaddy did good.
EG with my scarf...she was obsessed. We had to hide it from her or I would have never gotten it back.
When we got home, EG had one present to unwrap from us. Each year we do a package that includes our Christmas PJs, our ornament for the year, and a book to read. This year it also included a Minnie Mouse that matched our PJs. We set out cookies for Santa Claus and got ready for bed. We read our new Sofia book. I told EG she had to go to sleep so Santa Claus would come. Her response was "Aw, man!" After I explained that he doesn't visit unless you're sleeping...that was it! We never heard a peep out of her. She shut her eyes and refused to open them back up. :-)
This is EG in her new PJs holding onto her new Minnie. :-)
On Christmas morning, EG climbed into bed with us...we left her there watching Mickey Mouse and came to the living room so we could see her come down the hall. I'm so glad we did it this way. Her face was priceless when we told her Santa Claus had come.
As she ran down the hall, she yelled "Santa Claus"! I think she thinking she was going to find him at our house...however, she was not dissapointed.
She played with her Doc clinic for a long time. She didn't even have an interest in opening anything else for quite some time. It was so nice to be able to just stay at home and let her take on Christmas at her own pace. She played, opened gifts, ate breakfast, then went back to playing. We're very thankful that Nana, Grandpa, and Uncle Daniel all came to us for Christmas. J and I made the choice that we wanted to have Christmas each year at our home. This is our second year doing it this way. While we've given up time with Great-grandparents and extended family...what we've gained is also equally as wonderful.
EG's Christmas breakfast
We did go to my Aunt Genie's much later in the day and then took a trip out to the nursing home to see Grandma Duff. When we got home, we had one exhausted little lady. She had a great day. We are truly blessed.
Here was our big announcement:
We're having another sweet girl! :-) Well hopefully she will be sweet!
Since Christmas we have been relaxing. We've put toys away and packed up some of our older toys for our new sibling. We went shopping with Mimi on Saturday and had dinner with Grandpa this evening.
Mimi found some really cute matching outfits for our girls--wow! That still feels odd to say! :-)
To close...here is a picture of our EG from her first Christmas...
I cannot believe this was taken 2 years ago! EG was 4 months (almost 5) for her first Christmas. She was such a doll and tried to open gifts and giggled at her new toys. Now, she talks about Santa Claus and tells us he says "ho, ho". She names the ornaments on the tree and gets mad if she sees a tree without a star. She LOVES Christmas lights and sometimes will yell from the backseat to "Wait! Stop! Go Back!" so she can see them again.
I feel like I have over-used the word "blessed" in this post, but it's the only way I can describe our life. And our blessings seem to just grow and grow! To think, that our next Christmas will be EG's 3rd Christmas and S's very first. We will get to wake up to two little ladies enjoying the day! My heart just soars thinking about it.
Thank you, Lord for the life you have provided me with, the husband who walks this journey with me, for my first born spirited EG who has taught me so much about life and love, and now for this precious little one growing and kicking inside me. We are BLESSED because of you.
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