Holidays!

It's been a bit crazy here since I last posted. I had a friend visiting until Carlos's last day of work, then the girls and I all caught colds just before we went to visit Carlos's family for Christmas, and the day after we got back, Aimy spiked a fever and we took her to see the doctor and it turns out she also has an ear infection. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to get online!

I've taken a ton of pictures in the meantime, and I think I'll have to divide them into a few separate entries. I'll put the Christmas ones here and get to the others later. Aimy is still a bit young to understand what was going on, but was much more aware of the tree this year, and though she helped put decorations on (and put a bunch on the same branches, because it looked prettier that way!) she stays away from the tree most of the time. I'm not sure if it was because we were clear about not touching the tree, or if the needles were too pointy for her, or she thought it was too pretty to touch... maybe a combination of all three.

Picking out a tree

All bundled up for the tree hunt

Pretty lights!

Loved the beads - they make a
great necklace.

Putting her first ornaments on the tree

Aimy kept coming over to this side to put the ornaments
on the branches here...

At one time, there were 5 on
this branch!

Even the baby got into it

Telling me how much she liked it

All done!

Our visit with the in-laws was nice, though since we were all sick (Carlos was pretty congested too for a few days, though fortunately he never ended up being as sick as the rest of us) it was pretty tiring. Alixe didn't sleep well at all, and she was up several times during the night until our second night at home. Fortunately now that we are home and she is feeling better, she is back to sleeping through the night. Aimy slept longer and was more irritable than usual, but she enjoyed having time with her cousins, and especially loves the stuffed Mickey they gave her for Christmas. She definitely didn't understand why there were presents to open on Christmas Day, though this year she figured out that it is fun to tear off the wrapping paper and play with what is underneath!

Opening presents

All excited

Mickey Mouse!

Check out that tearing technique

Excited about the Minnie Mouse
cutlery

More interested in grabbing
the present than opening it!

We got back home on the 26th and have been trying to take it easy, but Aimy in particular has been having a tough time. She was pretty miserable until today, what with her ear bothering her, but though she's still a bit crankier than normal, she too is getting back to her usual self. Poor thing hates taking her medicine, but she has heard me say "Good girl, well done!" so often when she finishes taking it that now she has taken to repeating it through her sobs when she has finished... breaks my heart a little every time!

We're planning on taking it easy for New Year's Eve... I wonder if we'll even be awake to ring in the new year! Hope you have been enjoying the holidays - I'm thinking of you all!