Ho Ho Ho!

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas. Santa stopped by our house and brought Ellison a Dora house, shopping cart, and a sack of super, fun toys.

An Intimate Christmas Eve

Waiting for the her cousins to arrive.
After collecting all of the Gator Candy Canes
from the Gator tree.
Ellison asked her Daddy to read a
book to her new baby doll.

She loves her new baby.

This year, we had an intimate Christmas Eve at my parent's home with Aunt JoAnn, Laura and Brett. It was our first Christmas without our beloved Uncle Wayne. A tear still comes to my eye when I think about not having him there to point out Santa Claus in the sky, as he was accustomed to do. Maybe next year, his son, Brett can take up the much loved tradition. For now, I can honestly say that we had a lovely Christmas Eve. Ellison was given a doll with lots of fun accessories from the Beamans. She entertained all of us throughout the evening as we watched her read to her baby, dress her, feed her and put her to sleep. Children bring so much joy to the Holidays. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

My parents hosted a lovely Eve of Christmas Eve Party on the 23rd. The Acacia family, Denise and Roland Rutjens, Eve Akel, Becky Coplan and Uncle Tim joined us in the celebration.

Slight Addiction

Shy

Today, Ellison and I ran into Sports Authority for a last minute gift. A stranger waved at her, and she looked up at me and said, "Ellison is shy Momma, shy." I replied, "Ellison is not shy, Ellison is silly." Her response, "No momma, Ellison is shy." If you have met Ellison, you can attest, there is nothing shy about this child.

Ackley Christmas

Every year all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles gather in New Port Richey to celebrate an Ackley Family Christmas. Aunt Eva and Uncle Said deck out their home at Christmas time with themed trees (including Disney and UF trees), figurines, lights, and train sets. For a child, it is magical to walk around and look at all of the ornaments. Ellison enjoyed looking (and touching) the ornaments, taking all of the M&M memorabilia down and lining them up, watching Mickey and Minnie sing holiday music, and sneaking upstairs to give giant hugs to the oversized Mickey Mouse.

It is funny how children make Christmas so much fun! Growing up, I always loved the Ackley celebration. The family tradition gave us all a chance to get together, exchange presents, check out my Uncle's latest "big" boat, and celebrate the Holidays. It is nice that as years pass, we all still make it a priority to attend the Ackley Christmas.

I think it is even funnier that now I am the mommy that is cutting up someone's food, sitting their child at a table with "little" cousins, and saying things like "oopsie daisies".

Big Girl Moment

Yesterday, I found Ellison trying to put her shoes on. I said, "Ellison, do you need help?" Ellison looked up at me and replied, "Ellison do it." And sure enough, she did!