Christmas Day

I think I liked the Christmas Season better than Christmas day. It was kinda hectic, especially after our big day the day before. All those presents to open, all those toys to find a new place for...sigh. It was nice to visit Jason's parents for a large part of the day and have dinner with most of his side of the family, but next year, I think we'll do what his siblings do, and just come for dinner. A kid needs time with his new toys, I guess, and parents need time to take inventory. Maybe next year we'll figure out how to space out the present opening too...it was kind of an overload experience!

We gave Rudy his Christmas present from us about 3 days early, mostly 'cause he saw me buy it and it would have been kind of pointless to break his heart by making him think that he doesn't get to have it for the sole purpose of seeing his excited face Christmas morning. This ambulance has been hanging out at Savers for about a month. Every time we'd visit (we go about once a week), Rudy would spend the majority of his 'toy time' playing with it. I had been thinking I'd pick it up for Christmas and tried to do it stealthily, but every time I approached it, Rudy would come running over with a "play with me?" invitation.

When I tried telling him we had to put it back on the shelf for other kids to play with, Rudy clutched it to his heart and implored, "Take to Rudy's house? Put it in my basket?" So that's what we did. No stealth involved. Lesson for next year- Rudy's old enough now that I can't take him shopping with me when I want to buy a surprise for him.

Anyway, he played with it for about 3 hours a day until Christmas came. It's getting a break now, with his other new stuff taking center stage, but I'm sure he'll come back to it.

My bed head and Rudy's excited face while opening hot wheels from his cousin, Aubrey. He LOVES them, and has played with them every day.
This all the stuff he got from Grandma and Granpa and Oma and Opa. Whew! Rudy's two favorite things were the construction set from Grandma and Grandpa, and the box of multi-colored, mulit-sized marbles from Oma and Opa. He uses them together for hours of construction fun. :)
Rufus's favorite gift. My parents gave us a bunch of great health food stuff in this burlap bag. I turned away from the half emptied bag to show Jason one of the items, and found Rufus had moved in. I had to postpone unwrapping the rest of it until Rufus decided his was done with his "lair". :)

Here's Rudy playing with his marbles and truck.