Holiday Cards

Freddie loved looking through the holiday cards, and especially loved pointing out all the "babies."

I'm not organized enough to save them for years and years, nor do I have the room, but rather than pitching them in the trash I punched holes in them and put a ring around them to create a "book."  I tossed it into one of his book baskets and we've been looking at it together quite a bit. 

Christmas 2010

4 feet of tree
3 strands of lights
1 ornament
1 advent calender
10 minutes to "pack it all up"
2 feet of stocking filled with treats for Freddie
1 hour to warm up to the present opening routine
3 flights
3 airport potty visits
1 airplane potty visit, complete with a pantsless return to the seat
3.5 hours nonstop returning
30 minutes in a holding pattern
30 minutes to Dulles as blizzard diverted us
2 days until available flights to NYC
0 hotel room supposedly available in Dulles area
70 dollar cab ride from Dulles to Union Station
410 dollars on train tickets
0 naps
4 hour Amtrak train ride
1 subway transfer
3 suitcases to manage
3 carry ons to manage
1 stroller to manage
24 inches of snow to walk through with all of this stuff to get from subway station to home
10 gifts still to open
25 pictures taken (bad mommy)
1 holiday trip still to come

Happy Holidays

Hoping our holiday cards are in mailboxes by now.  Last year I hoped to be more creative this year, and it just didn't happen.  I had hoped for a few photo ops in early December, but that never came to be and I just didn't have the energy to carry out a few creative ideas.  So I cropped this photo of us in Central Park right under the fall leaves.  Oh well, there's always next year, right?

I love getting holiday cards.  Freddie has really enjoyed them this year as well, spending time each day looking through all the pictures of friends and family. 

If somehow we missed you please message me your address! 

The elf

I didn't bring any holiday decorations to NYC.   I left everything in our storage unit in NOLA.  I knew there wouldn't be room and I was right.  It was a little disappointing to not have anything so I ordered an advent calender since the advent calenders were my favorite thing last year.

This elf was pricey, but I LOVE him.  I also got the "stuffers" to go with him.  At first I thought it seemed a bit pricey but it was absolutely worth it.  I couldn't have found 24 items to fill the pockets for $34 and these treats were great:  a kazoo, a whistle, jingle bells, slinky, rubber lizard.  Hopefully this will be offered again next year with slightly different treats, or even better, maybe some of my NOLA peeps can send me some Mardi Gras throws to use.

It took Freddie about three days to catch on that the elf had a new surprise each day.  Now he's asking to go back to the elf in the afternoon.  His favorite surprise so far has been a tiny pig flashlight that he takes to bed with him.