Christmas Day.

At 7 am (which is late for Ella), we hear a little voice at the bottom of our bed "guys there's presents down there under the tree". We say "that's great honey, give us just one minute and we will go down and open them".  Not even two minutes later she walks back in our room, eating a cookie that she has gotten for herself from the kitchen, "guys I got a cookie and there's presents under the tree".

She went to bed feeling great Christmas Eve; however, by the time we got downstairs on Christmas morning to open gifts, she was feeling under the weather again. She opened ONE gift sitting up and the literally laid on the floor to open the rest of them. She said her belly hurt and she didn't feel good. Not sure what was up as she really didn't seem to have any other symptoms. Poor girl, she had been so excited for Christmas for months!

The dog has driven me nuts since we put the tree up. There has not been a day that he hasn't gotten under the tree and scratched his back under the tree and in the process, shaking all the ornaments as he does it. You'd think he was a cat!

Ella helped Claire open her gifts. Claire was more interested in watching Ella as she opened them!

I have to say that Ella is at the age that she knows when there have been gifts asked for that she didn't receive. (which it would be near impossible to buy everything that child has asked for!) Not that she was unappreciative of what she got, the exact opposite as a matter of fact. All day, over and over, she said, "I like my gifts, I love all the toys I got". She did let us know a couple times though that we forgot to get her a Dora house, Dora horse and stable, and stompeez slippers!

After presents we made a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and of course snowmen pancakes.

Since we weren't able to make it up to Botkins, my mom and Paul came down to bring us gifts and a ton of food. Ella and Claire were very lucky girls this year. Ella got mostly toys from us. From my mom she got a new Schwinn Roadster bike, a trampoline that is a mini version of the big ones with side protector and all, toys, legos, and a homemade blanket from grandma. We ate (too much food), hung out, and Tom and Ella built the lego house. It was a really nice and relaxing Christmas at home.

Grandma and Poppy (as Ella now calls him rather than paw paw) headed back in the evening to avoid the snowstorm. Grandma left way too many sweets, cookies, and food which I have to say, came in quite handy during the snowstorm today! I was able to take Ella out in the snow to play this afternoon, pics to come in the next day or so!