I know, I know... a ton of pictures can get really annoying. But I just can't decide!!! :( Elijah's 1st Christmas was so incredibly special to me, I have to document all the joys from it. So, away we go!
Elijah and my mom are so precious together - I love watching them interact. Mom & I FaceTime a lot on our iPads so Elijah gets to see her face & hear her voice more often than most family. He recognizes her and as you can tell from the above photo, he tries to grab her hair to eat it.
They loved watching Grandpa's train together!
New toys from my dad
Lots of fun with my dad and my brother's family opening gifts on Sunday 12/23 at my brother's house. Josh was very excited about his new tractor!
Straight into the mouth it goes. Of course! That's what it's meant for, right?
He loves, loves, loves his 11-year-old cousin Olivia and she loves him too!
I loved watching Christmas through this little man's eyes this year!
My brother's kids always sing for us on our "Christmas Eve" {not the actual day, but the day we're together when we do all our usual traditions for Christmas Eve}. This was Joshua's first time taking part though {he's almost 3}.
Joshie was SO excited when he opened his tractor shed present Grandpa Jerry made for him. He just wanted to jump up and down and up and down!
Aunt Jeremi loved snuggling with Elijah and was gracious enough to hold him while we had him "open" his presents so I could see his face and Tim could videotape it all.
Why yes, yes he did want to only eat all the paper or boxes. {Despite that it almost looks like I'm putting this toward his mouth, I'm actually trying to take it away!}
Elijah has a full stock of toys now that are ideal for his age and development, we have loads of fun new things to try out with him! Once he stops putting them all in his mouth. LOL!
Joshie loves his tools. He always goes around hammering or fixing things {not really, just thinks he is!}. It's so precious. So we bought him a Black & Decker plastic tool set with a backpack. He loved it and just wanted to walk around with it on his back until he found the next spot to "fix". Love this kid!!
Putting up Elijah's first stocking, for the first time on "Christmas" morning!! My mom hand makes all of our stockings and we always tease that they aren't big enough, but we do love that she does this and that they all have some similarities. Elijah's is just Joshie's in reverse.
Getting some loving from his cousins!
Since we were little, every year my mom just has to sing the "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" song. So every grandchild gets a hippo in their stocking at least once. Here Elijah and Joshua both got ones I helped pick out when mom was with me at Chicago's Christkindlemarket. These were hand-carved in Germany and they are beautiful. Elijah, of course, just wanted to gnaw on it.
So excited he squealed "yayyyy!!!!" so we asked "what is it?"
Josh's reply was high-pitched and "I don't knowwww!!!!" He was just excited to have gotten something I guess! {I thought it was so funny I actually have no recollection of what the gift was!}
Sweet seesters!
Well I hate that my brother's eyes are closed here but it was the best pic I got so it'll have to do. :) Toothbrushes and candy canes are part of mom's annual gift to us. We always act completely shocked every time and it's so much fun!
Grandpa Jerry so rarely holds babies that it's really picture-worthy when he does!!
Mom opening up her "Grandma is a blessing" ornament from Elijah :)
I mean, really. So cute.
Making our annual gingerbread house! A few hours before this, 9-year-old Cayley {in blue} fell sledding and hit her head on some ice. She gashed it open pretty good. A scary and startling time, but her mama is a nurse and knew what to do. They had to get her to urgent care for some glue, and back home to clean up her clothes and hair from all the blood, but a couple hours later she was back at my mom's house and good as new. Cayley is such a trooper and we are so proud of her! She laughs at stitches and stuff, she thinks it tickles.
Shortly after Cayley's accident and right before they left for the hospital, she said through tears "but I don't want to miss the gingerbread house!!!" So sweet. So glad she was back in time to do it. We honestly wouldn't have done it without her.
2nd {?} cousins Kayla and Elijah having fun. He smiled at her SO much Monday night at our big family gathering. Loved seeing this. {Kayla is my cousin's daughter, so are Kayla & Elijah 1st cousins once-removed or 2nd cousins? That classification gets so confusing.}
So many wonderful memories together with my family. We feel so very blessed.
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