It's beginning to not look so much like Christmas. . .

I love Christmas!! We had a lovely day yesterday. All the Goodmans here got spoiled- especially Emma. We started the morning around 9:00 when I FINALLY convinced the two other sleepy heads to come out and see what Santa had brought. Emma was actually a little frustrated with us at first. We have spent all month instructing her to not touch the presents under the tree. It took a few minutes for her to understand that it was now not only allowed, but encouranged to touch, handle, and rip apart the packages that had been so closely guarded. Ross and I were excited to see her rip open all of her presents, and maybe even some of ours. Unfortunately- she found no real pleasure in opening presents. She LOVED playing with all of her new toys and trying on all of her new clothes- but only after we had opened them for her. The highlight for Emma was her new baby doll from Aunt Dana, and her new animal ABC set from Grandma Jones. After opening those two- Ross and I were pretty much able to enjoy opening our own gifts without toddler interuption. Ross and I were also grateful for the wonderful (and cute!!) winter wear that Grandma Goodman and Aunt Stephanie sent for her. Well, technically the cards said that they were from Grandma & Grandpa, and Clay & Stephanie, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the end result was due mostly to efforts on the female part. I guess I could be mistaken though- maybe Grant and Clay both have a hidden affinity for home-made handicrafts. If that is the case, then I apologize, and will simply say here that I love the coat, hats and scarf that were created, whoever the responsible parties may have been.

Now let me say that Ross is the sweetest and sneakiest husband ever!! Because we have been saving up for a down payment on a house, and because Ross had another couple months of unemployment there, we set a budget on each other for Christmas. On Sunday, we went to my Grandma's house for pizza and for our yearly chaos-filled Nativity re-enactment. When we got there, Ross led me down to the basement to reveal my first Christmas present. He bought me a beautiful new rocking chair. It is solid wood with an arched back and beautifully intricate carvings all over it. I LOVE it. I didn't have a rocking chair with Emma- and I really wish I had. I guess 2 years of complaining about that gave a deep enough hint :) This is way more than I expected though. I figured we would wait until right before the new baby, and then get the most steeply discounted glider available. I guess when we were at the Festival of Trees, there was a rocking chair by one of my favorite trees that I just raved about. That was when Ross got the idea. It was a good one. I was reallly touched- but I was also a little suspicious about all the other packages under the tree for me, because I knew the chair alone was probably over the budget. When I started opening up the Pleasures Exotic gift set (that new perfume by Gwyneth Paltrow- yum!!), the long sweater from the Gap, and the new necklace and earing set, I KNEW that he had broken the rules!!! When I told him this, he responded with, "No I didn't!! The chair is for the mother of my children, and the rest is for my wife!! If anything, I am under!"

I suppose I can't point my finger too strongly, because I got around the budget by putting the shirt & tie set, and the slippers from Emma and Sara when I couldn't fit them into my budget after buying the Christus statue and Elf movie Ross had been eyeing. I think we both enjoy getting presents for each other too much to have strict budgets. They are more like guidelines than anything else.

After our beautiful morning of AMAZING gifts and cinnamon rolls, we went over to my Grandma's house for free food and GREAT company. We introduced my uncle Jay and Aunt Lara to my new favorite game. It was a lot of fun, and I was glad to catch up with some family that I haven't seen in a while. Congratulations to my cousin Kandra and her husband Brad on their new upcoming addition!!!! Later that evening, my sisters came over to our apartment to play a few more rounds of Bohnanza (it is really addicting!) while Ross enjoyed the Transformers movie and old fashioned popcorn maker we got from my mom. All-in-all, it was a rather enjoyable day filled with love, food and really thoughtful gifts!! I love Christmas!! I love my family!!! I love the chance we get to remember the humble beginning to the perfect life that leads us to our salvation. I hope all the family and friends that we were not able to see or talk to are all doing well. We love you and pray that your holidays were as fulfilling as ours.