I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We did! Although Anna had a double ear infection and ran a HIGH temp for a few days until the doctors office reopened. Around here Christmas is more like Hannukah, if Hannukah were like Christmas morning. We started on Saturday at Grandma and Grandpop’s house. Spent time with immediate family where the girls opened gifts. (In Ben’s family that means Ben’s Aunts, Uncles, and first cousins, Grandma, parents, and sister) The next night we were off to the big family gathering (remember we have not reached Christmas Eve yet…) They opened presents again, only to come back to Grandma and Grandpop’s and open a couple more before going to bed. Christmas Eve morning, they awaken to open gifts it’s (no lie) bigger than Christmas morning. After 2 hours of opening presents it is time to go home. Finally, the next morning is Christmas morning, the big event! We could hardly get Anna to open a gift because she is not feeling well, but she is fiesty enough to fight with Emily over who’s play house it really is. (the one we bought for them together…Sigh)
Then after presents, breakfast, and clean up time, it is off to Aunt Jo-Jo’s to celebrate with my side of the family. Yet again, time to open presents. While Meme and Pop-Pop were fair in how much they spent, Emily had a moment of disappointment when they ran out of gifts for her before they did Anna. 🙁 Yeah… I feel so sorry for her. (Hear the sarcasm in my voice?) I pulled her to the side, and explained how her gifts are bigger and cost more, and the most famous gift my Grandmother bought me was an umbrella. (And not a pretty princess one either) But wait…. “We forgot a gift”, Jo- Jo yells from under the tree. One more for Emily, and all is well with the world. Geez! Four days of opening gifts, yet like Jello, it seems there is always room for more! (Except for when it comes to storing all of them 🙂 )
So it was a fabulous Christmas and all my fears of them not having enough have been dispelled, and we move onto new things to worry and concern ourselves about.
Oh! Did you want a tip or some wise lesson to walk away with? O.k. Here it is. When you read the age appropriateness on a game or toy, add at least a year to the earliest age. Seriously, I have found that when the box says “two and up”, it is challenging for a 3 year old at least. If it says “three and up” well you are going to be the one putting together that 48 piece floor puzzle while the three year old says “Good job mommy, I want to do it again“, and then proceeds to tear it up for you. We have been playing a game called Sequence for Kids. Great game. I got it for my oldest daughter when she was three because the box says “three and Up”. She is six now, and finally able to play it with understanding of the rules. Anna, who is almost three wants to throw the chips around and match the cards to the pictures on the board. Go figure. So that is my tip, now that you have bought all the Christmas toys and are stuck with things they will not understand for two more years. 🙂
Have a Happy New Year!