Christmas, Christmas, Everywhere!

My house looks as though it's been hit by a tornado...no, perhaps an atomic bomb.  There's Christmas shrapnel everywhere I look, and as I try to find a peaceful spot to rock in the fetal position I am reminded of the fact that it will get bigger and bigger every year as The Princess starts to want things and family members oblige.  So I begin to chant...enjoy it while it's here, this may be the last Christmas without the added wonders of Santa Claus and gift lists.

All in all, it was a wonderful holiday.  On Christmas Eve, The Princess got all gussied up (in the same dress she wore for Christmas day last year - hooray for outfit-repeating...especially at this age!!) and decided she loved ornaments.  Not having had any on the pre-lit tree this year for fear of Destructo doing them in, she was elated when I handed her one. 

After snapping these (most excellent) photos, we took off for Uncle Hambone's house for the festivities.  In keeping with tradition, there was grumbling and bickering, starving and nervous giggling, eating and calming down, and waaaay too many presents!  Dinner was served at about 10:00, after which we dug into the pile of loot.

The Princess, of course, found her big present the moment we got there...considering it would have been hard to wrap.

After checking out the tricycle and getting a tutorial about putting her feet on the pedals and pushing, The Princess decided she really needed to get down and dirty, and figure out how the heck this thing worked.

Happy with the mechanical aspects, The Princess moved on to more presents and lots of paper.  The bubble wrap was an especially big hit.

After presents we decided it was probably time to hit the road, so The Hubbs started bringing our loot to the car.  A couple of minutes after he went out there was a knock on the door...he came in with a look of absolute horror on his face.  The tricycle had self-destructed. 

Turns out it wasn't a big deal - just a grumpy bolt that was easily fixed - and the tricycle is now residing smack dab in the middle of our living room.  The Princess's favorite part is the pedals...they spin so well!

When we got home from Uncle Hambone's house The Princess was sleeping peacefully in her car seat.  I couldn't bring myself to upset her so I took her in her Christmas dress and laid her in her bed for the night.  She didn't budge.

Next morning, we awoke early to make the trek to The Hubbs' folks' place.  His grandpa's birthday is on Christmas day and there's always a big breakfast with that side of the family, chowing home-made crepes and excellent bacon.  Can't miss that!

After breakfast we plopped in the living room to open presents with The Hubbs' folks and JAK.  Unfortunately, I left my BlackBerry at home...so I didn't get to take any pictures.  :(

BUT...Nana kindly sent me three of the best The Princess photos from her camera.  Thanks, Nana!

Here's The Princess with Daddy, yukkin' it up:

And here she is checking out the decorations on the coffee table:

And this one we like to call Princess Babboon Butt...displaying her shiny red bloomers for the world.  K wasn't sure what the heck was going on, and is looking over her shoulder at the crazy people.  :)

After the present extravaganza with Nana and Company, the Reardon Clan started showing up for dinner.  The Princess really enjoyed the turkey and homemade cranberry sauce...not to mention the pumpkin cheesecake.

All in all it was a great Christmas, though we're still trying to find homes for all the new stuff.  This poor little house seems to be shrinking by the minute...time to go through and throw out some old crap to make room!

Here's her big present from Nana and Grampy - the Handy Manny Repair Shop.  Coolest.  Thing.  Ever.  We just couldn't wait to get this thing put together, regardless of the lack of space.  It now lives in the middle of the living room, between the treadmill and the tricycle.

Here's hoping your holiday was as filled with food, family and fun as ours was.