Ho Ho Ho

I really want to edit these but if I take them into photoshop, there is no telling whether I'd ever take the time to finish and get them up. I used to be so good at this. Now all I want to do is watch Netflix or go to bed. I think maybe a blog re-design might motivate me to pick up the pace a bit. So here is Christmas 2012 as is:

CHRISTMAS EVE: Annie is obsessed with leading the music. She lead the entire Metcalf Fam as we sang Christmas Songs. Owen was our Baby Jesus again only this time he took his costume seriously and came out in "swaddling clothes."

CHRISTMAS MORNING: Annie was super thrilled this year over presents, the tree, lights... But once she saw her piano, we couldn't get her to look at anything else. She wouldn't even bother opening any of her other gifts for a few days. This was the perfect present for her. She plays and leads the music at the same time!

YDNIC & NOR'S: We had a big breakfast over at Ydnic & Nor's this year. I thought Annie might need another year to get excited about opening presents but, once we got her away from her piano, she was totally into it. My parents gave us a nice TV which is awesome since our current dinosaur requires us to use subtitles any time we want to watch something and know what is being said. Really, it is a wonder we actually ever watched anything on it. Now thinking maybe the new TV isn't such a great idea. I can't wait to waste hours with it. If only we had cable!


GRANDMA POLLY'S: I'm not sure how she keeps doing it, but Grandma decorated her house from head to toe again. We had a terrific dinner and a huge wrapping paper fight. I feel bad though, I may have gotten largely mad at Q and berated him to no little extent for decking me with something only to find out it was Grandma Polly behind the injury.

Ho Ho Ho Facts:

• I wrapped my first present of the season at 11pm on Christmas Eve. School went late this year and I can't remember a quicker more stressful week of Christmas ever! It was a long night. Good thing the gifts were sparse this year.

• A few days before Christmas we decided we better get some sort of tree. So Q went to the mortuary and found an old Jubilee tree already decorated. That's why we have a Triple Deuce theme going. We didn't even fluff it. I have a feeling Annie won't let us get away with this kind of behavior again.

• After months and months of looking, I didn't find our heirloom Christmas ornaments {the one's we've been collecting for 8 years} until January 6th. It was the only thing lost in 8 years of moving every year and storing all our stuff in random places for that long. At least I know where they are now.

• I know you'll think we are totally lame and un-romantic, but Q and I haven't given each other anything for Christmas for awhile now. We decided the last 5 Christmas's and the next 30, we will just count the house {which sounds pretty good to us}. But... in the spirit of having something to open, we allowed one cheap gift to pass this year. He gave me a teeny egg frying pan and I gave him a toothbrush sanitizer. We were both pleased as punch. In January Q bought a gym pass and I bought some much needed MAC so I guess that could count for something as well.

• Annie is bonkers over Christmas lights. Our defective car baby could be strapped in her car seat all night long in December! She goes berserk every time she sees a house lit up. It's funny though, not sure how she knows but her favorite lights are the ones Mark put up at Ydnic & Nor's. She cannot even contain herself when we drove by. "What is it! What is it!" followed by cheers, laughter into the sky, and applause every time.

• Christmas morning we went in her room to get Annie and she pointed to my tummy and clapped. Then she hugged and patted the new baby inside and said "awe," and "who is it?" We have never mentioned the new baby around her or even talked about it so we were both dumbfounded. I asked her where the baby was and, matter of factly, she pointed straight to my tummy and started rubbing it, laughing and smiling all the while.