I've missed a few days there, haven't I? Oops. The holidays got me. Merry Christmas (a day late) everyone. I hope you had a good one. Ours was very, very busy but it was also really nice. Saturday was a busy day getting ready. We had our last gymnastics class that morning. We've decided to stop going for a little while. If we start up again, we may take a weekday class instead of a Saturday morning one. Kris thought Annika was starting to get bored with the classes and we'll be a little busy here shortly so we thought now was a good time to quit. Luckily the classes are year round and you can start back up any time so if we change our mind, it won't be a hassle. After gymnastics we headed to the grocery store. We had our list of ingredients needed and that saved us some time but Annika was tired and antsy and by the end of our grocery store run, we were all crabby. Ah, such fun. We got what we needed though and headed home. We ate lunch right away and then Annika and I laid down for a nap. Boy, did that girl need one! She slept for almost three hours. When we woke up, I started baking cookies (one of the items needed for our holiday celebrations the next two days). Pretty soon I handed that job over to Kris though so I could work on Nana and Papa's gift. I ended up picking out 1,145 pictures to put in their new digital photo frame! Um, no, I do not have a photo taking problem! That night after Annika went to bed, I had one last job to do - finish wrapping all the gifts. I was exhausted by the time that was done. It was just one task after another all day long!

Sunday was just as busy. We were hosting Christmas Eve dinner for Kris's family that evening so all morning long was spent cleaning the house. I even took the time to do some chores I don't usually get done like dusting out the china cabinet. By lunch time though, the majority of it was done. After lunch, Annika and I laid down for a nap, this time I needed it more than she did. While we napped, Kris started the dinner prep for that evening. One funny thing that happened that afternoon was something Annika said. She must have stubbed her toe or something because she was in the kitchen with Kris and I, holding her foot and crying. Kris asked her what was wrong and she sobbed "I broke my foot!" Kris and I couldn't help but giggle at her while also trying to be sympathetic and make her feel better. When we woke up from out nap, Annika and I helped with a last few chores and then it was time to change into our fancy clothes for Christmas Eve church. Kris's family met us there so we were able to show them the church we are considering joining. After church it was back home again to make dinner. Kris had set the table while we were napping and it looked so nice. He got out our china and the cloth napkins and the wine goblets. It looked so elegant. The beef tenderloin we made only had took cook about an hour and then we all sat down together around the table. It was a lovely meal and the beef tenderloin turned out magnificent. That hubby of mine can cook! He also made his version of Asian green beans (green beans sauteed in garlic and soy sauce) and sherried mushrooms. Along with that we had mashed potatoes, salad and dinner rolls. I'm drooling just thinking of that meal again. I was the last person finished eating. That may have been because I was busy helping Annika eat or it may be because I was a little piggy and kept going back for seconds. I'll let you all decide which one you think is correct. After dinner clean up (thank you Auntie Carrie and Nana for helping so much!) it was present opening time! I hope everyone liked what we got them. It seemed like they did so I'll just go with that. Kris, Annika and I were spoiled again with great gifts. Annika loved her build-a-bear reindeer, puzzle, book, ornament (which she had to immediately go put on the tree!) and pajamas. She had to wear her new pj's that evening even. Before we knew it though, it was pretty late and time for bed. The time always seems to slip by so quickly when you don't want it too.

Yesterday was more whirlwind of activity. We started the morning by eating our traditional Swedish pancakes and then present opening of our own. Santa was good to Annika, bringing her Cars, The Polar Express and three Muppets movies. It was just what she asked for (Cars and Muppets) plus a little extra. Her toys from us were a big hit too. She loved her new baby stroller but she loved her new Little People doll house. She played with that for over an hour that morning before we convinced her to change her clothes so we could go to Gramme and Papa Merv's house. We had a lunch time celebration there (hmm, yummy lasagna!) and of course more gift opening. Hopefully once again everyone liked their gifts. I tried to really find stuff I thought people would like this year instead of opting out with gift cards. Gift cards are so much easier though! Anyway, We received some very nice gifts (again). One of the highlights was when Annika received a scratch and sniff book from Gramme. Annika thought it was nice and all but Kris really liked it! Turns out he had the same book as a child and he was excited to show it to Annika. Annika was getting the hang of this present opening thing though and wanted to go "help" more people with their gifts. After opening all the presents, Annika spent a good half hour or so running through all the paper on the floor as if it were a pile of leaves and laughing her fool head off. She thought that was great. Then, Uncle Mathias laid down on the floor and she spent another hour or so torturing him by climbing all over him. What was most hilarious though was when Daddy told her to lick Uncle Mathias. So she went after Uncle Mathias full bore with her tongue sticking out, licking his arms and face. We were all falling over ourselves laughing and Uncle Mathias was playing defense, trying to get her to stop. Then, Auntie Krystle showed Annika what a "wet willie" was so Annika went afer Uncle Mathias with her finger sticking out, aiming for his ear. It was hilarious. Pretty soon it was time to leave though and we headed out. We had another celebration to go to that evening at Grandpa and Marcia's house. Annika again had a great time, what with being the center of attention for two days straight and everything. After getting out all the appetizers and desserts and each of us loading up a plate, it was time for more gift opening. We were all spoiled again (for the third time!) with some really nice gifts. The hit of the night for Annika was her new kitchen set (which Daddy is finishing setting up for her today) and the cooking utentil set that she got to go with it. She started whipping up all sorts of things in her new pots and pans. I would ask her what she was doing and she would say "I"m making." She didn't tell us what she was making, but she was a busy little girl. The pots and pans were even more fun when she figured out she could turn them upside down and use them as drums. This wouldn't be so bad, but she got a nice wooden kitchen set and the cooking utensils were all metal and wood too. The new drums were a little loud! Uncle Mike (Marcia's son) is a drummer though so he and Marcia thought Annika's drumming was excellent. I'm sure the rest were just happy the cooking set was going home with us! We all migrated to the family room and played Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture Series 2 the rest of the evening. It was really fun. Most of us are really competitive so there was some lively banter being thrown back and forth. My team (consisting of myself, Auntie Krystle and Pierce) won but just barely. It was a really close game which, of course, only made it more fun! After that though, it was time to go. I love spending time with our families and was a bit sad that the holidays had come and gone so quickly. It seems like you spend eons preparing for it and then, blink!, it's over.

Today was a recovery day for Annika and I. I got the house mostly back in order. I still have my china and goblets to hand wash but all the gifts have been put away and the boxes crushed or stored. It helps my stress level when my house isn't a cluttered mess. That's Gramme coming out in me, I'm afraid! Annika spent the entire day in her pajamas. She was a crabby little thing this morning (two late nights in a row with short naps yesterday and today lead to a crabby girl apparently - shocking!) so she went down for a nap early. Unfortunately, she didn't sleep very long, only an hour or so, and woke up with a low grade fever. It was around 100 or so. We spent the rest of the afternoon snuggling in bed watching movies and relaxing. By the evening, the fever seemed to be gone and her mood had improved. Hopefully she's not getting sick. We have big plans for tomorrow - a train ride! Don't worry I'll tell you all about it.