Special Times

Well Christmas is officially past us and it was great. Christmas Eve we went to Candlelight Service with Great-Grandpa Earp in Killduff of which Emma was the only child and I'm afraid she may have stolen the attention of most of the congregation....oops;P Then we had our Christmas at NaNa's with our special friends Rod and Cheryl. Emma got a great little car she can ride or push and it was a pretty big hit instantly:) Mommy got a new sweatshirt and Daddy got a Hawkeye shirt. It was a special evening with lots and lots of food. Chocolate covered pretzels, every variety of M&M, pie, smokies, etc....oh dear...
Christmas morning we all 3 rolled out of bed about 7 and went right to the living room for Emma to open her presents! A few toys, a movie, and some socks from mommy and daddy. The best was her little Tap A Tune piano:) She loved it!! Our morning was wonderful, we made cinnamon rolls, and just lounged around as a family enjoying each other. We spent the rest of the day out with NaNa, Uncle Adam, Auntie, and Derek out at the farm. As a family we didn't really give lists to each other, so it was really neat to see what we found for each other, and the thought behind them seemed that much more special.
The day after Christmas was spent at Great Grandpa & Grandma De Cook's. We had a great day with family, Emma was such a trooper all weekend, she was such a good girl as far off schedule as we were for a couple days. The one thing I like to give us credit for is her consistent bedtime. No matter what we are up to, if at all possible she goes down at about the same time. It seems to work really well for us and helps Emma to know when it's time to go down. Naps are still all over the place ranging from a half and hour to an hour, 2 or 3 times a day. It's frustrating in a way, and yet it works out ok because as busy as we are, her nap schedule is flexible. There isn't a certain time we have to be at home for her to nap.
I am excited for New Year's weekend as we are spending the weekend in Carroll for the rest of our Christmas'. It's been so nice the way it has worked out this year for us to be able to spend lots of time at each of our family gatherings; not rushing from here to there. I hate being frazzled and it has made this holiday so incredibly nice!
I will try to get some more Christmas pics put up today, but no guarantees as Emma has been quite a little pistol this morning and I have a lot to do to get ready for this weekend, plus working in the shop also.
We wish you all a blessed New Year full of health, safety, fellowship, and growth!!

Love,
RJ, Tessa, & Emma Rae