Christmas 2010

Here is another catch-up blog post.  Better late than never.  

This year, we were so luck to have Uncle Dave, Aunt Nancy, and Cousin Axel come to Baltimore from California for Christmas!  I hadn't met Axel yet, and he is the cutest boy!!  I thought he might be a little scared of me, but he was very tolerant of my giving him attention.  :)  And for a little boy completely out of wack schedule-wise (it's hard to adjust to a 3 hour difference!), he was sooo good.  We got to see them a number of the days that they were in town, and share a few very nice meals with them, too.

So Steve and I both had off Christmas Eve as our company holidays.  When we woke up in the morning (and found a little boy in our bed between us), DJ asked if it was time to open presents.  We told him "not today, but tomorrow", and then promptly asked for our iPads to play with while we snoozed a little longer.  Christmas morning, DJ didn't even ask about presents when he woke up; he just asked for our iPads.  I have no doubts that next year, that question won't be asked!!

Christmas Eve - the presents are ready

We had the kids dressed in matching reindeer blanket sleepers for Christmas that Grandmom had given them. But as part of DJ's morning routine, he goes potty and then gets dressed, and he was VERY upset when I told him to go potty but he wouldn't be getting dressed just yet.  That level of upset immediately disapated up seeing PRESENTS!!! 

We waited until Uncle Dave, Aunt Nancy, Cousin Axel, and Grandmom came over to open gifts, so that the kids could open them together.  The speed at which paper was ripped probably caused a rip in the space-time continuum.

Elektra and Axel checking out the loot

The kids on Christmas Morning and Grandmom, Uncle Dave, and Steve with their cameras in the background

DJ checking out his new cement truck while Axel opens the Toobeez box

DJ playing with his new dump truck

Elektra with her new baby carriage

A note about the baby carriage and the dump trucks - both kids put their most "prized possessions" (see the next picture) in their respective vehicle of choice and run laps around the house with them.  The rebel yell is heard if DJ takes the baby carriage or if Elektra takes a dump truck. 

Contents: 2 miniature field hockey sicks and soft balls and Bunny.

And here's an incredibly cute pic of Elektra and Daddy wearing the construction helmet that came with DJ's cement and dump trucks.

Cute!

Elektra also received some really unique shoes from Holland!  She couldn't wait to put on her "new shoes"! 

Dutch Daisy shoes!

We had a ball building with the Toobeez.  Check out this house that Aunt Nancy built!

Nancy building the Toobeez house with 2 little helpers.

Like last Christmas, DJ received a new bike, but last year, it was a pedaless (running) bike.  This year, DJ received a Lightening McQueen bike for Christmas, but he's still learning how to use the pedals despite the fact that he can balance on the running bike, thus the training wheels.  Once he figures out how to deal with the pedals, we'll take the training wheels off.

DJ on his new bike.

By the end of the week that Dave, Nancy, and Axel were here, the kids had figured how much fun they were having with their cousin and their aunt and uncle, and have continuously asked for them since they left.  But before they did leave, we tried to take a picture of the three of them together....

Cousins Elektra, a tired Axel, and DJ

We miss you, Uncle Dave, Aunt Nancy, and Cousin Axel!  We hope to see you again soon!!