Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

It's been a long day and this little elf is exhausted. But what a great first Christmas !

Christmas Eve we enjoyed a church service at Christ Community Church with Mom and Dad, where Max was very well behaved and enjoyed jamming to the music. After that, Paul and Lympi came by with this super cute ornament for Max (an owl, of course!!)



Olympia took some family pictures of us. I think she did a great job.



However, I think it looks like Bailey is thinking about doing an inappropriate scoot across the carpet in this one.



When they left, I got Max to bed while Chris prepared our traditional Christmas Eve German feast of weinerschnitzel and potato salad. YUM.





I really think Chris has perfected this meal. It was delicious!!

We capped if off with a glass of Mumm Napa sparkling wine as Chris and I exchanged gifts.



Oh, and Bailey got some gifts too! See, Dad, she's not a neglected and sad animal. She seemed pretty happy with her special "chocolate covered pretzel" and dog treats!



I got some awesome camera gear. Now I just have to figure out how to use it. As many pictures as I take, I ought to be a pro by now, but I'm still learning. One of the items is a fisheye lens, and it takes fun and cool shots like this:








I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this thing once I figure out how to really use it!

So then this morning we got up and gave Max his very first Christmas gifts from us. He first wanted to sniff the gifts...or taste the gifts, not sure which.



I think it's really clear that he thoroughly enjoyed "opening" his gifts.










After Max had a nap to recover from all of that excitement, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for Christmas Round 2. It was as chaotic and fun as always...it gets louder every year and I guess it will continue to do so as more kids are added into the mix. As usual, Julie was the Christmas Elf, and she had an intern learning the ropes from her this year (Sam). Here he is opening his exquisitely wrapped gift from Chris and me!



Meanwhile, Natey used one of his gifts to read Santa the riot act. He had been scared of this Santa all season; I think he was pretty excited to finally have the upper hand.



Paul and Bailey did some holiday bonding. (I love this picture for oh-so-many reasons!)



Max got so many great presents, including this helicopter (notice those sleepy eyes - he was fading fast)



and this totally awesome baby recliner (baby approved for napping!)



(or for jamming on your new guitar!)



This gift-exchange business was so exhausting that the Elf-in-Training had to take a siesta mid-gift-delivery!



After all was said and done, there were some great gifts exchanged. But my votes for "Most Unique" gifts go to these two:

1. Meat Baster. (Argument could be made that this is some type of medieval torture device.) I love the way Max is looking at it like he's pretty sure he's in some kind of trouble.



2. Big A@# Candy Bar. Raise your hand if you think Mom could eat this in her LIFETIME.



So, after all the presents were unwrapped but before we ate our Christmas feast, Max found some time to cuddle up by the fire and read a book while lounging in his new chair.



After a quick stop by our house (and a nap by SOME, but not all of the Ludwigs), we debated back and forth about going to Mema's. The weather was iffy - a snowflake here and there, but Paul and Olympia claimed a blizzard at their house out in Greer. However, Chris felt confident in his driving-in-snow abilities, and so he made the decision that we should brave the roads and head on over. By the time we got there, we were able to experience a genuine snowfall! Max's very first snow ... and on Christmas Day!!

If you look closely, you can see the snowflakes in his hairs ... and even some snowflakes falling.


I never dreamed I would see a White Christmas in South Carolina, but Mema's yard was already white at 6 pm and it just kept falling while we were there. The weatherfolks are reporting that the snow is going to continue throughout the night and into tomorrow so it looks like there will be ample opportunity for Max to frolic in the snow tomorrow!



And so Max's first Christmas 2010 draws to a close...Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

Merry Christmas, Ya'll!!!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

So here it is Christmas...

Christmas Eve. Sitting here watching the news to see if it's going to be a "white Christmas" --- not likely, only possibly an inch. I knew better than to expect it when the forecasts called for a 60% chance of 3-5 inches at the beginning of the week. That's ok; it's a beautiful, sunny and chilly day and we are enjoying our Christmas Eve. Chris has spent the morning whipping up his traditional German potato salad and our house smells slightly like a diner, but boy is it going to be worth it later!

This is what the rest of us did while Chris slaved away in the kitchen:




But then again, the two of us WERE up this morning an hour and a half before Chris too :)




We (and by "we" I really mean Chris) finished installing our new stainless steel appliances late last night after Max and I were in bed. I'm so excited to finally have all matching appliances.

Before:



During:



After:



(Never mind the mess -- Christmas feast preparation in process!)

Max has already received a Christmas gift - from Jan and Nina - an original Steiff bear. So cute - thanks Jan and Nina!! It came in the mail yesterday, just in time for Christmas, and Max is a fan!



So, now I need to wrap a few final gifts and then we can relax until time for church. Bailey has the right idea.



(I love how her stocking, above her, reflects the scene exactly)...



Anyway, off to fix myself a bowl of Edy's EggNog ice cream and get to wrapping! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The Adventures of the Boy in Footie Pajamas

One night last week, I agreed to watch Nathanael while Julie and Paul went to see Sam in his preschool Christmas program. He showed up at our house just before dinner time, and he was in his footie pajamas and ready for some fun.

He started off with a cruise in Max's car. (Notice Max chilling on the couch in the background...perhaps wishing he was old enough to drive.)



Next, Natey borrowed some accessories from Bailey and got all dressed up for his photo shoot. (Julie claims he wants to be the Naked Chef, but I think this picture proves otherwise...)



I asked Max what he had to say about Natey's photo shoot look, and this is what he said:



Next up on Natey's agenda: a little bit of "rocking out":



This was quickly followed by a test-sit in Max's Bumbo to ensure that the claims that a toddler can still use this seat are true. Confirmed! (I think Natey was considering sitting there and reading George Bush's "Decision Points", which can be seen on the back of the couch, but there were lots of other things he still needed to get to...)



I asked Max how he felt about Natey using his Bumbo, and this is the response I got:



Next up: a little vuvuzela practice:



and then Bailey critiqued his technique:



And finally, some chilling out time while he watched Disney's Prep and Landing



Max can't wait until he can have an evening full of activities like that!



After the boy in footie pajamas went home, we sat down to a decent dinner of Chicken Nacho Bake. Darn, I'm just realizing that I forgot the sour cream!!!




Oh, and check out this deliciousness: Chris made this chicken pot pie last weekend. LOVE. Too bad I forgot to take a picture after it had been sliced open to it's gooey inner deliciousness.



One last thing: an update on Max's sleep training. Last night was his first night in the crib. I am super proud to report that he went to bed at 8:30 with only less than 10 minutes of crying and slept straight through until 6 AM!! Yay Max!! Now, if only I had slept. I had a slight meltdown when I went to bed and saw the empty pack and play in the bedroom, and then I proceeded to go upstairs to check on Max no less than 5 times throughout the night. Who knew this "cutting the cord" thing would be so hard?!