Merry Christmas!

Gerry & Gerritt playing with the set of wooden architectural blocks


Gerritt & Sophia comparing toys. Gerritt has already changed into his new Curious George fleece pajamas.


Sophia with her 1st baby doll!


Gerritt's presents


Do I look like the dog who likes to snuggle?

Well, we had the best Christmas ever! Chris & Gerry arrived during the day on Christmas Eve. We spent most of the day buying last-minute cooking ingredients, planning the Christmas Day menu, playing with the kids, & watching a movie. Shon, Gerry & Sophia stayed home while Chris, Gerritt & I made a run to PCC Natural Market. They have small grocery carts especially made for kids, so Gerritt had a blast pushing one around. Apparently, he was craving strawberries because he ate a half-a-pint box in less than 20 minutes.
We had our traditional table of finger foods in the evening - smoked wild king salmon & whole-wheat crackers, melted brie cheese with sliced organic pears & apples, smoked oysters, raw vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots & mushrooms) with dill dip, shrimp with shrimp sauce & ham & cream cheese roll ups. Despite our best efforts Gerritt didn't eat anything but the crackers. He can be quite picky at times. He didn't even know what he was missing out since he refused to take even one bite. We've decided to open all of our presents on Christmas Eve after kids have gone to bed & have them open their presents on Christmas morning. Gerritt went to sleep at 8 pm, however, came out of the bedroom at 9:30 pm just as we were finishing up. I guess, we woke him up with our sounds of laughing & crinkeling paper. He looked all confused & started crying. So we asked him if he would like to open 1 present that evening. He was so thrilled to tear off the paper & find a soft red Elmo doll inside. Watching various Sesame Street episodes with Elmo on www.youtube is one of Gerritt's favorite activities, so finding Elmo inside the gift box put a big smile on his face.
The next morning Gerritt proceeded to open the rest of the presents. It was Gerritt's first "real" Christmas (the one he can understand & appreciate), so we all went overboard with the Christmas gifts. The 1st present Gerritt opened was a tow truck from Gerry, so Gerritt immediately started to play with it. 10 minutes later it was time to open another present - a book from Chris, which took all of Gerritt's attention. Poor thing, he kept jumping from one present to another attempting to play with all of them at once - an impossible task! All in all Gerritt received Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks & Boards I bought at the Lakeshore Learning Store; Melissa & Doug Architectural Unit Blocks (from Chris & Gerry); a huge yellow Tonka Toughest Mighty Dump Truck (from uncle Ananth); a wooden puzzle spelling GERRITT (from Chris & Gerry); Fisher Price Little People Builders Build 'n Drive Fire Truck (from Taj & Gabe); Curious George fleece pajama set , which Gerritt insisted on wearing right away & for the next 3 days (from Chris); a sock monkey that Chris has had since the 1970s; & 2 Christmas books (the Elf on the Shelf from the Olshavsky family & That's Not My Santa from Chris).
Then it was Sophia's turn to open presents & by that point Gerritt was an expert at opening them & had a lot of fun helping his little sister. Sophia received a handmade wool hat (distributed by the Fair Trade organization Ande's Gifts); pink Faux Fur vest from the Old Navy (from Mommy & Daddy); a wooden puzzle spelling SOPHIA (from Chris & Gerry), soft yellow organic cotton bear (from Taj & Gabe) & her very first beautiful French-made Corolle doll (from Chris). Chris even took the time to call the company & inquire whether the doll was made out of BPA- & PCV-containing plastic (which it was not). I can't believe I haven't heard of the Corolle dolls until now! They are non-toxic, soft, vanilla-scented, & machine-washable (gentle cycle). Of course, such a beautiful doll comes with multiple accessories - high chair, crib, a mealtime set, clothes, stroller, infant carrier, sling, bed, you name it. Many more gift ideas for Sophia for years to come! I think my husband & I had more fun with the kids' presents this year since we couldn't stop playing with their toys. :-)
We have been shopping for our own presents throughout the month so Mommy received a new set of Dr. Mercola non-toxic cookware. After reading about the dangers of Teflon-coated pots I've decided to get rid of them all together. I've also received a set of beautiful amethyst earrings (handmade by local Seattle artist Kristin Ford); Seven for All Mankind designer jeans; a Coach purse (my husband & I actually bought it together at an outlet mall); socks, cashmere sweater, body lotion, new pajama set (from Chris & Gerry) as well as Harry & David fruit, nut & chocolate tower (from Judy & Jerry) & beautiful Christmas ornaments (from Katie & Ed). Dadddy bought himself an electronic weather station (it predicts weather for the next 3 days) as well as upgraded our family's dish washer, dryer & washing machine. He also received the Barbecue Bible book & a set of grilling tools (from Chris & Gerry). Our poodle Spike received a set of Greenie chewing bones & a Snuggie sweater.
For dinner we roasted a leg of lamb. It was served with baked sweet potatoes & steamed green beans. I baked a cherry pie for dessert. Sophia sat next to our table during dinner & looked so sad. I gave her some of the melt-in-your mouth rice crackers, but they didn't satisfy her. So, I pureed some lamb & sweet potatoes for her. Boy, was it a hit! Our girl gobbled it up & even had TWO extra helpings.
It was a wonderful Christmas. The biggest blessing of all is our young family!