Christmas 2015

I almost wrote "Christmas 2016" which goes to show you how tired the year 2015 made me, already over it and onto the next. We had a great Christmas filled with more presents and toys than a 16 month old can ever dream about. Jack really caught onto the joy of unwrapping presents and was more than a little bit eager to help everyone else with their gifts. He turned his Uncle Stephen into his own personal trash can as he handed him every scrap of wrapping paper he could find during the process. We all ate more than I ever thought was humanly possible, both on snacks before Christmas and on the actual meal we had on Christmas Day.

Jack was a little on overload as the three of us opened presents on Christmas morning, going from toy to toy pushing all the buttons and trying everything out as quickly as possible. We found out a few things about being parents to a small child during Christmas:

1) Be ready to assemble a toy at a moment's notice. They see the box, they know what is inside, so you better deliver. This assembly will be a little bit like trying to do a Rubik's cube in the dark while wearing a blindfold and being accompanied by an octopus grabbing at your arms. Snacks are a decent distraction, but be aware that most of the instructions of these toys are only pictures, they will be in black and white, and they look a little bit like stills from the Blair Witch Project. It will be a trying time for all involved, you've been warned.

2) Batteries are like water in the desert. You need them to survive, but you just can't seem to get your hands on a pair. Or even worse, you'll need 12 of the itty bitty tiny ones and can only seem to be able to scrounge up 11. I would go to your favorite warehouse store and buy 100 of every type.

3) Your child will be so hyped up from toys, cinnamon rolls, Christmas candy, and general joy of receiving new things that they will need just a little bit longer to wind down for naps/bedtime than normal. We've had more than few nap times that I almost threw the towel in on because Jack just wasn't quite ready to leave his new things. (It doesn't help that when he's ready to get out of his crib (albeit WAY too early) from a nap he will cry out "MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA!".)

All in all, we had a great time with David's family and we are both thankful for the time we were able to spend with everyone this year. We hope that you all have a Happy New Year and a blessed 2016! (P.S. if you're waiting for a Christmas card from us, we're sending New Years cards...and I'm behind. I'll lie and say we were making sure this 2016 thing stuck before sending them out).