The Davis Family: Emma's Favorite Christmas Gift

We have been very busy over the past weekend. Emma and I have been trying to finish our Christmas shopping, along with decorating, cleaning and cooking. Somehow the weekend is already over.

Saturday we went to Emma's friend Avery's 2nd birthday party at Bounze Zone. Emma absolutely LOVED playing in the big bouncers. She has a very hard time standing and walking in them. She kept falling over and then laughing hysterically. Jay and I had to help her get up to the top of the slide and then slide down with her. She wanted to do it over and over. Needless to say she was quite worn out and we had to go directly to the ExxonMobil kids Christmas party from there. The Christmas party was geared toward older kids with lots of crafts, book readings, and even ice skating. Emma did get a new doll to open and we ate lunch and visited with a lot of Jay's coworkers. Emma even got to sit on Santa's lap. By this time she was so exhausted that she didn't even cry! She didn't smile either, as you can see from the picture below. She had a very puzzled look on her face as if to say "Who is this guy?"

We did get snow in Beaumont a few days ago. It actually snowed quite hard starting at about 5pm, but most of it melted. Once it started to get later in the evening and the temperature dropped a little bit of snow stuck to the ground. I took Emma out in it and she didn't exactly know what the fuss was all about. It was comical to Jay and I to see how the town reacted to the little bit of snow that they did get. Schools were closed early the day before, about three quarters of the nightly news was snow coverage, and Jay was in charge of "Emergency Response" at work. He had to update the information lines of who had to show up to work and at what times. Hilarious!

She doesn't have too many new tricks. She is trying to imitate sounds more and try to say more words, although she usually leaves off the second syllable. She will point to our nose, eye, and mouth when asked. Now that Jay has taught her how to throw her hands up for a touchdown she loves to say "Ta" and throw her hands up. Unfortunately she doesn't realize that this only happens when football is on TV and she will say it while eating, being changed, or for no particular reason. She also says "Pa pa" when she has a poo poo in her diaper. (Sorry Papa, I am trying to correct this one right away. We don't want her thinking you have anything to do with poo poo. Heeheee) She also understands more of what we say than we think. The other day she picked some lint off the floor and brought it to me. I said "I don't want that - go throw it in the garbage." She actually turned around, walked into the kitchen, and threw it right into the garbage! It was something we had never talked about. Also, we just started wearing a coat because it had been really warm. Yesterday I said "We are going bye bye, we have to get your coat." She walked into the living room right to her coat and brought it to me. I didn't think she knew it by name yet. What a smart girl! She also is getting another new tooth on her bottom. We can't wait to go home to Michigan for Christmas to show off how much she is changing!

Emma did receive the best Christmas gift ever in the mail from Grandma this weekend. It was her Christmas stocking! Jay and my Christmas stockings were hand knitted by my Grandma Peggy (Emma's great Grandma). Last year Grandma Peggy was still working on Emma's stocking so we never hung one for her on the mantle. I just couldn't bring myself to go out and buy another stocking when I knew that Grandma Peggy was in the midst of making her special gift. (Grandma Peggy has made everyone in the family a stocking - all of my cousins and their spouses and my parents and aunt and uncle. It is a family tradition.) Sadly, Grandma Peggy passed away this year without finishing Emma's stocking, although she did have the top part of it done with Emma's name. My mom found someone who could finish knitting the stocking, but keep the top part that was already started and did it as a surprise to Emma and I! It arrived in the mail and we were SO excited hang the stocking on the mantle. We will really miss Grandma Peggy this holiday season, but she will forever be in our memories and bring smiles to our faces each year as we hang our stockings!

Our finished mantle