First BUSY Week of December

Boy, we've been having so much Christmas, yuletide fun that I haven't had time to blog about all the fun activities we've been up to this year!

But tonight was a highlight, even in its' simplicity.  While Rudolph wasn't an instant love connection, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was an instant hit.  Libby fell back in love with our Charlie Brown talking ornament with the sad little tree, so when Marmena showed her the movie, she took right to it!  We are so pleased.  I may be saying this too early, but no matter how many times we watch it, it just doesn't get old to me. Tonight Libby requested a viewing after dinner and before bed and came and got me from the kitchen to sit down and watch it with her.  Now, she does like to watch it sitting in my lap, or Marmena's, GiGi's, whatever.  But I don't force the issue.  She sat for a second, but then sat beside me and let me rub/play with her hair for a long time while I watched her enjoy the movie, smiling at her favorite parts and watching so intensely.  I felt like a bit like a nervous teenager on a date when I reached over to rub her hair, not sure whether I might be rebuffed.  But she took right to it tonight.  She also made me stay to hum her a song even though it was Daddy's turn to do the last part of putting her to bed tonight.  Ahh, the little, quiet moments are the best.

But we've had plenty of forced fun, too.

Immediately upon returning home from Thanksgiving, we decorated the house and the Christmas tree - all while Libby napped (okay, it took naps over two days).  But she has enjoyed the decorations so much that she thinks Christmas has already come!  We really don't have to get her a thing for Christmas!

I apparently have no photos yet of our Christmas decor.  So... come back for those.

My grandmother started a tradition when I was little of giving me (and then my cousins and me - at least until I got married) an advent calendar, usually with a little chocolate behind each window.  I hoped that she might do the same for Libby and my Mema never disappoints!  I think this has already become Libby's favorite Christmas tradition.  She comes down those stairs in the morning and asks for that chocolate to go with her milk right away!

The first week of December, we had Libby's step-great-grandmother over for lunch with us and GiGi and they had a lovely time with each other.  She got a fun gift from great-grandma Betty Anne: Elf on the Shelf!

After lunch, she loved eating pieces of bacon bits that were supposed to be a garnish for our soup.
("That caviar is a garnish!" - name that movie!)

Great-Grandma Betty Anne got a beautiful gift from GiGi and Libby helped with opening that one, too.

Then that Saturday, we went to visit Santa at Town Center (after becoming aware of the fact last year that both the Santa and the scene there were better than the one at North Point, where we took Libby last year.)  We had no idea how our plan would go, but we went to Chick-fil-A for a fun breakfast out before heading over with Marmena & Granddiddy (and where Libby got a Christmas cow to aid in her seasonal celebration.)

We didn't have to wait long in line, but we managed to get plenty of photos!

And some with Marmena & Granddiddy.

And then she first spotted Santa!

She was a bit nervous about Santa until she got her trusty blankie (no wonder she likes Charlie Brown- she identifies with Linus.)  But then was pretty comfortable with him, and of course got REALLY comfortable when it was about time for us to move on - she kept trying to go back to visit again when we were in line to buy the picture they took.

Then, it was back home to decorate cookies with MK, the little girl across the street who likes to come "babysit" Libby (while I'm supervising them both.)

Libby took a bit of time to get involved in the decorating process, because she obviously needed to taste test the plain cookies first!

She continued to taste-test, but we still had a few left.

Then, we went to an SEC Championship/Christmas party with Libby (where I took no photos!)  After a promising first quarter vs. LSU, UGA unfortunately lost to them and the "honey badger" in the end.  Still, a better season than we thought after a rocky start to the year.

On Sunday, we zipped up to see GiGi & Papa at their house and Marmena and Granddiddy for a pre-Christmas celebration there.

There, we got Libby's Christmas present crafts for us!  (We actually received some "decoy" ornaments on Friday to throw us off, but we got the real one that night.)

Decoy.

Real Thing.

Libby painted the trees and then placed all of the stickers (which she chose) and head cut-outs herself.  My parents, Michael's parents and I all got one!

So... that was the first week of December.  I'll try to catch you up on last week by Thursday.  Craziness!