Whew!!

We are home after an eleven day trip to Ohio. Let me just say that we had fun but the trip was 2 days longer than planned and we didn't sleep in the same place two nights in a row. Evelyn was a trooper and once again amazed us at how well she travels. I was the one shouting out of the car windows and begging for a fuel stop about 2 hours before we got home- Evelyn? she said "Mama it is night time could you please quiet down?" Then, Les kept driving past open gas stations and I finally promised that the next one he passed would mean that either: a) I was going to do a Bruce Willis style action roll right out of that infernal machine b) I was going to grab him and do a full-on choke slam on him when he did stop or c) I was just going to sit there and weep until we stopped, let me just say that he pulled in to a station in about 3.6 seconds after my announcement, averting what is known in certain circles as "A Michal Hissy". Also may I ask, why is it that the two people travelling with me do things such as order chili dogs while driving , drink chocolate milk from a faulty spill proof cup, and indulge in powdered sugar coated goodies and I am the only one who looks like a Stained Road Troll from Hell when we get out of the car? How is that possible?
Pictures tomorrow, for I am off to find my orange kitty and crawl into my very own bed in my very own room.

In review...

2005, 2006 and this year,which I now know is 2007. My how The Bean has grown. 2005 was our first Christmas with Ev and we spent it all at Grandma's house so they could share the joy. 2006 was at the Beach Box house in Avon, NC and this year was at the farm house in Hatteras.

Christmas Morning

Well, it's all over but the shoutin' - as my Mom always says. Bean woke up at around 8:30 am and we came right down and jumped into the presents. I wish I had a picture of her face when she glanced thru the banisters on the stairs and saw the packages waiting there for her, it was the biggest grin ever. Then , typical Evelyn style, she walked into the room and talked to her Papa and fussed at Billy, completely ignoring the presents for a minute or two, then all bets were off. She opened every present and looked at each one before diving into the next one. She got lots of books and she was very pleased about that. The dollhouse was a major hit which pleased me. Then we spent the day playing and napping and then stuffing our faces this evening. Life is good.

Christmas Eve

This is how we spent our Christmas Eve. It was the second full day of baking and cooking for me with my Tiny Helper, we have accomplished all of my baking goals: we have two kinds of cookies, two batches of Sugar Plums and then Red Velvet Cupcakes. Now, if that doesn't sound like two days of work , remember, I had a "helper" and we had to pause for many meals, snacks, potty breaks and play time. It has been so much fun baking with Bean she really loves dumping the ingredients in and helping me with the mixer. We made the cookies first and then moved on to the cupcakes and this smarty pants said "hey Mama, we are using some same stuff to make cupcakes", I was so surprised that she noticed this, we then went on to talk about what things we were using in the cupcakes that were not in the cookies. During the actual baking, she stood guard right at the oven door, monitoring the cooking. I must say the cupcakes were quite a hit around here.
After baking, nap time and then the icing of the cupcakes, it was time for dinner. I was so sick of being in the kitchen that I just threw together a pu-pu platter (we have these in honor of my friend GeorgAnna who helped us discover the delight of thrown together snackage one year as we were heading home after the Iditarod in Alaska) and a Cheesy Dip - then we all had a pic-nic under the tree. Evelyn was so excited to eat dinner under the tree and then she noticed that I had a small bowl of potato chips out and she sky rocketed into glee (chips are just one of things that we are very careful about having around the house and Ev usually has to have them bootlegged to her by her Grandma).
After the picnic, Ev was allowed to open a gift. It was one that was sent to her by our good friend Sue all of the way form Alaska. She loved the cards, thanks so much Sue!!! It was a pck of the Brain Quest cards and I was quite surprised at how Ev answered some of the questions- these will be so fun for us to do.
Then it was off to bed for The Bean and sneaky-sneaky time for Mama and Papa....Now the house is ready, mostly and Bean is in bed and we are all fed, Les had quiet Christmas music playing as he is reading on the couch and All is right in our world.

I am so happy that I am about to burst. The joy and exhuberance of my little girl is just about to blow me away. I kow what the magic of Christmas is, it's that look of sheer excitement on your child's face as she chomps into a big cupcake or when she thinks about giving presents to her cousins or when she just looks at me with a thousand watt grin and says "Happy Christmas Mama!!!!"

Here is an example of how Bean does not really like Santa to her full capabilities yet.... We were in the back of the house, I was in the kitchen, at the stove (can you believe that?) , Les was washing dishes (terrific man) and Bean was in the dining room playing with Stella and Billy. I looked over at her and I said, "Evelyn aren't you so excited to have Santa come to your house tonight and bring you presents?", well, she stopped what she was doing and thought for a minute, then she got this real funny look on her face, got up, walked over to the back door and LOCKED IT!!!! HA!!! I nearly had a stroke trying not to laugh, then she very seriously asked her Papa if all of the other doors were locked. Funny kid.

Merry Christmas to you all. I hope that you are all at least as half as happy as I have been today.

Myspace Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Outtake

What we are reading at Christmastime

These are the books that have been a big hit with Bean this season. We read them at least twice a day, sometimes more. She is starting to quote them during her play time. Snowmen at Christmas is a story in poem form about Snowmen coming to life on Christmas Eve and celebrating Christmas together- this idea has enthralled her and she is longing for snow to make a snowman of her own. Bear stays up for Christmas has been a favorite year round but it's now a daily read, this one is about Bear and how his friends wake him up so that he can celebrate Christmas, also in poem form (the rhythm and cadence of this book will bring Billy from anywhere in the house so he can listen too- really). Then we have the quintessential Christmas story- a classic for a reason, Ev loves it. This book is a cloth book that my Grandmother sewed for Bean and I think that's part of why she likes it so much.
Les is reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and I am reading The Looking Glass War by Le Carre ( also Chocolate and Room with a View).