Four Christmases

We celebrated Christmas four times this year (and they're all going in one very large post), but unlike the Vince Vaughn/Reese Witherspoon movie I actually enjoyed these.  We started off with our first celebration on 12/23 at Sean's parents, the night before we left to drive to Minnesota.  We had dinner over there and then Fiona opened her gifts from Grandma and Papa and some Michigan relatives.  She really got into ripping the wrapping paper this year.

Plus she got this really cool box to sit in.

And a Dora tricycle (that she tried out on Friday in Grandma's basement).

We drove on Friday to Chicago where we stayed with my sister overnight.   The Christmas tree at her place had more ornaments per square inch than any other tree I've seen.  Fiona loved it.

The next day (Christmas Eve) we drove to my brother's place in Minnesota.  We brought Auntie Donna with us so her and Fiona made all sorts of mischief in the backseat.  They watched Charlie Brown (the Halloween not the Christmas special, funnily enough), played with a whole sheet of stickers, dressed up in hats and gloves and other general funny-business.  It was great to have Donna with; the drive went very smoothly.

Fiona either really likes to play with anything that belongs to a grown up or is preparing for a life of crime.

When we got to Leo's place he and Tracy were still out so my mom was there with the dogs (2 black labs, Emma and Maggie).  Fiona loves dogs, but she gets very skiddish when they get too close, especially bigger dogs (yet she still wants to pet them!).  Maggie is very affectionate (and used to little kids that like dogs) so she gave Fiona a big kiss on the face which Fiona wasn't too fond of.

Here's Emma guarding the gifts.

We had our second Christmas on Christmas Day at Leo and Tracy's.  The girls went to church in the morning while the boys stayed back and cooked our dinner.  They did a wonderful job on the ham, potatoes and sides.  Tracy's parents (Ted and Donna), her sister (Mindy), brother-in-law (James) and 13-month old niece (Isabella) also came over for lunch and presents.  Both Izzy and Fiona had the biggest piles, although everyone received at least a couple of gifts.  Again Fiona had a blast unwrapping the presents, except every time she opened something new she wanted to try it on or play with it.  Towards the end I opened the last few since she was very distracted.

Fiona and Grandma before all the commotion (and before Fiona changed into something less-fancy).

Fiona looking at Izzy, looking at me, the only one looking at the camera.

Fiona's ready to go.

Teaming up with Daddy.

Izzy's checking out her gifts.

Now we're getting to the point where Fiona is trying on new clothes and looking for someone to play with.

Until she opened something that she could play with by herself.  This is the point where I opened the last few gifts.

She's got her serious face on.

But wait, there are boxes that need to be played with.

And to hide in.

And to drum on.

Our third Christmas was on Monday (Boxing Day for any Commonwealth readers) at my mom's.  She had a bunch of my aunts, cousins and family friends over for lunch and socializing.  We also exchanged gifts after lunch and played cards.

Showing Suzi (her new doll) and Suzi's accessories to Uncle Leo in the morning.

Enjoying a candy cane after lunch.

Hanging out with Daddy.

Checking out more new toys.

Group shot.

A nice shot of Tracy and Leo.

Tuesday we spent the day at my brother's place, mostly just hanging out.  Fiona was mostly used to the dogs by then and they were mostly ignoring us unless we had food.  She even petted them a little and giggled when Maggie gave her a little kiss.  My mom and Donna came over also and in the afternoon we went for a short trip to a nearby park.  It was a little chilly so we only stayed for a short while.  They had a small slide that was the perfect size for Fiona. 

Reading some books after lunch.

Bundled up in the sun and cold, but no snow this Christmas.

A toddler sized slide.

Not sure what the age limit is for this slide, but that didn't stop Donna.

Everyone still had energy to color a little before dinner.

Fiona even had energy for some Dr. Seuss matching.

I also got to see my high school friends on Tuesday night, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It's interesting to reflect on how the conversations at our gatherings have changed over the years as we get older...

Wednesday we left in the late morning to drive back to Chicago, bringing both my mom and Donna with us.  It took a little planning and rearranging but we were able to fit 5 peoples worth of stuff, plus the people themselves in the van with ample room for everyone and no obstructed views.  We spent Wednesday night at Donna's again and then drove to Ohio again on Thursday.  Fiona did a great job over the course of the entire trip taking naps (1.5-2 hour naps) in the van.

Showing Auntie Donna her toes.

Enjoying a snooze in the sun.

Friday (12/30) we had our final Christmas celebration.  Sean's parents, Chris, Jennifer and Caitlin came over for dinner and presents.  Fiona did a good job helping hand out the gifts to people.  Caitlin looked like she was enjoying ripping the paper and Fiona wanted to help everyone open their gifts.

Giving Papa his gifts.

Caitlin had fun drumming on her new blocks.

Fiona is already trying to make a break for the camera so she can see the picture. :)