December Recap

December was awesome!  CHRISTMAS!!  One month closer to my birthday!!!  First things first, we got our tree.  Mom and Dad say it was the easiest tree selecting ever: it was bitter cold and rainy, so we pretty much grabbed a tree and ran to pay.  It fit right into the stand at home, and I couldn't wait to start decorating!  In fact, I did most of the decorating myself.  Mom did the lights and breakable ones, and we did the silver ones together.

The next day, it snowed!!!  Mommy realized very quickly that my snowboots were still at Grandma's from the move, so we had to make do.  I wore rain boots, and Gavin wore a pair of my cowgirl boots.  Gavin wasn't really a fan of the snow, but I had a great time!  Daddy and I made a snowman!

 Gavin appeared much happier to WATCH me and Daddy play in the snow from the comfort of the upstairs window seat.  (YAWN!)

Next up was our family's annual holiday party, the BadBash!  We had some really terrible weather, but a bunch of friends still made it.  It may have been our biggest party yet - good thing there's so much room in the new house!  As a fabulous bonus Santa came, too!!  (I had a feeling he would.  As I told Mom earlier in the month, "We'll have a party and Santa will be there and I'll tell him that I want a Clifford the Big Red Dog stuffed animal, and then he will bring it.")

Mom and I went on a date to see Frozen!!  It was so funny.  We loved Olaf the snowman, and Spen (Sven) the reindeer the best.

We made Christmas presents for Grammy and Grandma, and I helped Mom wrap a bunch of things for Grandma, Grandpa, Andy and Dad!

Finally, after months of waiting, it was Christmas morning!!!  I wasn't feeling well (bad cough), but I put on my game face to see if Santa had visited and brought what we had asked for.  Boy did he, and then some!!  I had asked for Clifford the Big Red Dog and a puppy puppet.  I'm not sure what Gavin asked for, but he seemed thrilled with all his booty!

 Gavin and I both love playing with his puppy guitar.  Grandpa loves it too - I hear his birthday is coming up...

 I even got a Princess Anna (Frozen) dress and some Frozen books!  Santa really knows how to impress a girl.  Ries liked the dress too - does it come in puppy size?

 Gavin L-O-V-E-S his vacuum.

 Ries was very wary of train.

 Gavin and I each got a lacrosse stick - a true Maryland Christmas!

 After the morning festivities at our house, we packed up a few precious gifts and drove to Grandma & Grandpa's house to see all the aunts and uncles and dogs and Nicos.

 We got even more presents, including a Disney Princess Little People castle for me!!!!!!!!! 

 We spent a few days in Pennsylvania, then went back to Maryland to see Grammy & Bimpy.  They spoiled us even more!  I got my first (three) Barbies AND a Barbie dollhouse!  Gavin and I both got a picnic table, which is still in the kitchen for us to eat at - we love it!

 Grammy had a copy of The Spicable Me 2 (Despicable Me 2), which she graciously decided to leave behind for me to keep.  We have watched it several times - it's so funny!

 You can tell how much Gavin truly loves his vacuum...

We celebrated New Ears close to home, at a party thrown by our new neighbors across the street.  It was a Mad Hatter party, so of course I dressed as Alice!  I got to wear this blue dress that was Grammy's when she was little.  Gavin puked all over the host's kitchen in the first ten minutes, and therefore did  not stay at the party for very long.  Mom and I stayed a while, then went home (so far! across the street!) to wear jammies till Midnight.  As soon as the ball dropped, we went back outside to see the amazing fireworks display the neighbors set off!  It was so cool!!  Mom was in her element, as fireworks are her favorite.  Ries was terrified, but insisted on staying outside with us and didn't bark once.

Happy New Ears, everyone!