Merry Christmas! Part II

As I've said before, Christmas at our house is a busy, busy time. We have lots of family groups to see and host, and we (I) wouldn't trade it for the world. But for a quick moment, let's go back to Christmas Day...

... Noah, David and I had already finished opening presents, the buffalo roast was simmering in the crock pot, and Noah was catnapping before the second round of excitement.

Emily (Grandma) & Chuck (Papaw) arrived around 1:30, just in time to eat our Christmas feast. I admit, I was more than a little worried about cooking a buffalo roast, but in the end, it was delicious! No really, it was better than beef, super tender, perfectly seasoned (thank you, McCormick seasoning packets), and it complemented the carrots, onions and potatoes fabulously. I was impressed.

And, I was rather excited to get to use my Christmas dishes my Auntie Peg had bought for me the last two years. They have a whimsical pattern on them that I find irresistible, and I've been waiting for the right time to debut them. So here they are: TA-DA!


Right after lunch/dinner, we got down to the business of present opening. Once again, Noah wasn't so sure about the big to-do with presents, but he did enjoy Grandma Frazier's Christmas paper (loaded with Mickey Mouse).


Thank goodness, one of the packages even contained a 2-foot tall Mickey, which has already been subjected to several minutes of full-out-boy wrestling.


Noah also received a nearly three-foot-tall, remote-controlled dinosaur of which he's relatively terrified. He has his brave moments, but he still prefers to operate "Saur" from the safety of David's or my laps. The adults, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed playing with the dino, and did so for the better part of an hour.

Emily & Chuck opening their presents

At that point, I thought it was high time to let Noah take his new riding mower for a true test spin. So we bundled him up in his new snow suit (also from Grandma Frazier) and trooped out on the front lawn to get in a few laps. Talk about a little boy in love... he's thrilled with his new "monner."



Back inside, the other memorable moment was Noah trying out his new potty chair. As you can see, he's not afraid to climb on—and IN—the potty. We obviously have a little work cut out for us.


Just as Emily & Chuck were leaving, David's brother, PJ, pulled in. He had planned to be up earlier in the day, but his dad, who lives in Florida, had made a surprise visit to Ohio. Uncle PJ brought up even more presents, and Noah happily ran circles around him, showing off all his favorite new loot.

The rest of the night was pretty low-key. David had to run back to Columbus to adjust the thermostat settings on a furnace, which he'd forgotten to do the day before. So Noah and I hung out and played with all the cool toys he'd gotten that day. All in all, a very mellow end to what's usually a busy day.