Abby, Zoë and Enzo

Comments: Christmas 2009

December 26, 2009 08:56:30 PM posted by Grandma Cindy

Merry Christmas
The bathrobes look great. So many toys. Thank you for sharing the wonderful pictures.

December 30, 2009 11:41:48 AM posted by Celeste A. C. Gaver

Please post a picture of the gorilla. That story is hilarious! Merry Christmas to you all!

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December 25^th 2009

Christmas 2009

Zoë and Abby were up and ready to check out the tree first thing this morning. I looked at the clock when I heard them running back up the steps - it was 6:30a.m. - with shouts of "he came, he came!" Nonna got up to go down with the girls, and I figured I should probably get up too. Enzo was still sleeping so Chris stayed in bed with him. The girls were just itching to touch and peek at all of the gifts around the tree. It didn't take more than a few minutes before I heard Enzo wake up so I brought him down too.

First Zoë and Abby got to open up their bathrobes from Grandma Cindy and Papa Norm, after immediately getting them on and all tied up, we moved on to stockings. Enzo kept trying to bite into everyone's clementines, which were found in the toe of the stockings, so we had to hide those. Abby got a stuffed horse and Zoë got her long lost barking dog (they'd asked for a horse and puppy in their letters to Santa). Both of the girls got a lot of nice outfits, pretty earrings from Zia Elizabeth, shampoo and chapstick, work gloves from Papa Norm and Grandma Cindy, games, puzzles, mermaid Barbie's from Grampy, kid sized snuggie blankets and hand puppets from Nonno Ernie and Martha, Crayola art boxes from Aunt Barb and Uncle Rich, and quilts made by Emmy the Great, among other things.

Enzo was funny to watch, having gotten the hang of gift opening, though he wanted to help others open their gifts more than sit and open his own. He too got some cute outfits and much needed undershirt onesies, a bilingual car plus a play table from Nonno Ernie and Martha, two wooden spoons from Zia Elizabeth from the Virgin Islands, mega blocks from Aunt Barb and Uncle Rich, books and cars and books that are cars... and then there's Jake.

Jake is what we've named the gorilla that Enzo is absolutely terrified of. It came from Nonno Ernie and when you press its hand it flaps its arms and makes gorilla noises. At first I thought we'd just put it away for a while or get him used to it so he's not scared, then Chris happened upon the realization that it's an excellent stair climbing deterrent. Normally we spend half our day getting Enzo away from the stairs, (old fancy banisters make it so a gate won't work there) but with Jake on the steps Enzo won't even leave the living room. He'll get close and then run back for one of us to pick him up, all the while squealing like crazy. Even if he sees one of us go into the hallway, where he knows Jake is at, he'll scream and scream until we come back into the living room. I'm sure we're doing permanent damage that will come out in therapy years from now, but at the moment it's amusing - and helping - us.

In the afternoon the kids and I went over to the Valley's to say hello to them and Grampy and Uncle Tommy. Reanna hadn't given Elijah his presents from us yet, so she let him open them with us there. Uncle Tommy had a present for each of the girls, bush babies. (Not real, thank goodness, but the girls love them) We left to get back home for dinner just as they were all sitting down for their meal. At home Daddy was ready to serve out the roast and vegetables and then we all split some canoli, brownie sundae, and tort. Just before getting the kids ready for bed, my Nephew Patrick arrived. He had stopped by at the Valley's, but just missed us and since we haven't seen him in a long time, he stopped by here after leaving there. The girls were able to say hello before heading up to bed and overtired Enzo all showed off his charm before finally nursing and crashing. After Patrick left, us and Nonna chatted a bit and then we all got our tired bodies into bed.