Well, we decided to stay home for the Christmas and New Year's holiday, but we were not without visitors. My sister Kathy was the first to come by from Dallas and was kind enough to bring us our old full side bed that she was finished with. This was perfect for Ashley so we upgraded beds for the kids. Ashley is now happily in a full size and her twin is now Ryan's first "big boy" bed. Hard to believe that in 3 years, he has not once gotten out of his crib, but it was time for him to move to a big bed and he loves it. He has only gotten out once in the last couple of weeks so it is a success. The kids loved having her around and actually cried a bit when she left. Cathy's mom came for Christmas and again the kids were excited to have someone else to play with. And of course, they loved their presents. Ashley wins the best kid award as she was overheard telling people that even though she did not get the one thing she asked Santa for (Nintendo DS), she was grateful for what she did get. I guess we are doing something right! Again the kids were sad when she left.
Lastly, the Appelts from Chicago were able to stop by on their way back from holiday in Florida with their new son, Nathaniel. He was quite the cute little guy and Cathy was enamored with him. Even Ryan got into the act by bring Nate a blanket and saying, "Here's a blanket, baby."
All in all, it was a good Christmas with 2 weeks off and a lot of family time.
