Christmas fun

This year Christmas was so much fun. Nate and Lilly were actually old enough to appreciate the decorations, unwrapping presents and the fun that we had. Last year Nate was only about 10 weeks old, so he slept through the festivities. This year he was intrigues by the Christmas tree, and while he wasn't mesmerized by the lights, he did enjoy all the walks we went on to go see them.
It was so funny to see Lilly and Nate on Christmas morning. Nate got a cool riding toy shaped like a car with working horn, key and driver side door. And he and Lilly both saw it at the same time. And they both thought it was AWESOME. That led to some tears, some possessiveness, and some heartbreak, but it was funny too. Lilly edged Nate out of the way and climbed in. Then Nate tried to climb over the hood to get in. And later when Nate was riding, Lilly threw herself across his lap and tried to push him out. It sounds violent, but it was cute and funny at the time. By then end of the day, they had gotten over it, and the fact that it was declared an outdoor toy (at which point it was removed from the living room) helped a lot. Nate loved that Grandpa Adams took him to the house at the end of Plata to see the lights, and let him ride his new car the whole way.
Dan and I got a "night on the town" from Dad and Jane. So on Monday we're going to Charleston's for dinner and AMC for a movie while Nate stays at "Grandpa's babysitting service" Dan and I haven't had a date night since....hmmm......wow. I know it was before Nate's birthday, I think it was even before I saw Julie & Julia back in September. I have a hard time leaving Nate for any period of time. Actually, for our first date after Nate was born Mom pretty much kicked us out and said she was watching Nate. He was 4 months old. Oh, and speaking of Mom, I remembered, Dan and I had a date night when she was in town. Just before Halloween. We went to Olive Garden and Mom and Sara took Nate to the Lines's ward's trunk or treat. He had a sleepover that night, and I was freaking out. It was the first and last time he's been away overnight.
Anyway, Christmas was fun. Grandpa and Aunt Sharon stopped by and gave us a Christmas card, and Dan's birthday card. That was nice because Dan had to work, so he missed seeing them on Christmas Eve. Ryan came over too and joined us for dinner. Cristi and Matt even dropped in. They came right as I was making a blueberry pie for dessert. That was pretty comical. I was visiting with the Dixons and my pie crust sat too long and became unmanageable. So I ended up improvising a crumb topping that ended up working out pretty well. But it didn't keep in the juices as well as a top crust would have. So the pan that my pie was on in the oven was so dirty and baked on that I had to soak it almost a full 24 hours. And now I get to clean the oven too b/c the juices overflowed and splattered. But it was pretty good. And, bonus, since the Dixons's visit threw me off schedule the pie got put in late, so it wasn't ready for dessert, so I got it all to myself later. Trying to be positive and focus on the whole more pie for me angle vs the no dessert for Christmas dinner angle.
All in all, it went pretty well. As usual for holidays, I was in the kitchen most of the day. But I was super stoked that I had enough nice bowls and serving spoons, so there was no plastic on the table. And I got to use my china! Dad even pulled out some placemats and cloth napkins that I didn't know he had. I loved it. I'm such a dork, but I LOVE pretty presentation. It makes the food taste better. And it brings joy to my soul!
I think that's my new favorite saying. Pretty much everything brings joy to my soul lately. Sweet potatoes, pretty food presentation, sleeping in, nap time, a clean house, spending time with family, etc....
OH, and I almost forgot. Dan decided that he wanted to carry on his dad's tradition of reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas for Nathan. So, on Christmas Eve Nate stayed up way too late, and Dan read it for him before bed. It was so sweet. I really enjoyed it. Nate ran around and tried to steal the book and beat us with it, but I think he liked it too. He's not much of a story reading kid. He just doesn't like anything that makes him sit still for any length of time.