Lancelot Acres

We still had a nice visit and the girls, again, received a ton of gifts.  DH and I also did really well with gifts this year and I feel everybody over did the spending on us.

It was nice to visit with the inlaws as they have been in Texas since baby came home from the hospital in October.  They are going back again soon, I think they leave on Sunday, and DH's brother has left again already.  DH's brother works down there part of the year, so the inlaws go down and they all stay in the same campground (living in their trailers).  BIL is a bit older and his only child is now 23 years old.  They don't have young children to think about when travelling, which is nice for them.  I'm not sure I'd like to travel so much, even if we didn't have young ones.  I like to be home.

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Christmas Day was magical.  We celebrated here at home in the morning and DD5 had a great time.  She seemed quite happy with her Santa gifts, even though she didn't get her pegasus that flies when you push a red button on it's back (I'm pretty sure she dreamed this up, but I looked every where for one, and I guess Santa couldn't come up with one either). 

She got a Vtech V-smile and is very happy with that.  She got 4 games in all and her favorite is so far, is Cinderella, ages 6-8.  I was worried about the ages, but she doesn't have any trouble at all and really enjoys playing it...even figuring it out on her own most times.  Cars is her other favorite, followed by the Alphabet Park that came with the game system, and lastly is Care Bears...it's just too easy.  Ages 3-5.  I'm trying to talk her into selling it, but so far she won't let me.

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Christmas afternoon was amazing.  We went to my parent's house and they always overdo Christmas.  They made it truly magical for the girls.  They cleaned out their back bedroom and put their tree back there...and decorated the entire room for Christmas.  When we arrived, the room was bursting at the seams with gifts.  Stockings were hung and filled, a princess castle was set up for the girls, along with another house, two baby dolls sitting on rocking horses (for my niece and DD5)...the list goes on and on.  It was truly magical and I'm sure DD5 will remember it always.  Walking into that room was like walking into the elves workshop at the northpole.  LOL.

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We recieved several great gifts this year. 

The best gift for baby was her papazon cradle swing that swings forward to back and side to side...she sleeps in it almost every night.  Other favorites include the ocean aquarium that hangs on the crib and an aquarium baby gym that converts to a tunnel when she starts crawling.  She also recieved a lot of little booties and head bands...all very handy and appreciated.

I cannot choose a 'best gift' for DD5.  She received so many great things.  She LOVED her horse clothes from my parents.  She put them on as soon as she opened them...in the middle of all the gifts and people, she stripped down and put on her new pants and shirt...and socks and hair things.  LOL.  It was very sweet.  Who knew she'd like clothes so much?  She wore them two days in a row and I finally had to wash them.  LOL.

I had a few favorite gifts...MIL gave me a rug for the kitchen that has a rooster on it...I do love chickens and she always finds the greatest things.  SIL gave me a glass cake pan with lid and carrying tote that I'm very excited about as well.  I make baked spaghetti quite often and that will come in handy for that.

DH recieved many nice things.  A fish knife from my parents that he'd been wanting.  A cooler on wheels from his brother that is very nice.  His dad gave him several nice gifts including boots that DH had already bought himself.  LOL.  I am not even sure what all he received, I had a hard time keeping up with everything with two girls and myself, much less trying to see what he was getting.  LOL.

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Then the 26th came and the fun was over.  DD5 had a fever on Christmas Eve and Christmas and also had a cough/sore throat.  We were off to the Dr on the 26th for baby's 2 month shots, so DD5 got a check up too.  She'd been having urinary troubles anyway, so it was not a wasted trip at all.  Her urine test and strep culture were both negative, so they call it viral, which just means they don't know what it is.  Her cough is really bad at night and could be related to her asthma (even though they say she doesn't have asthma).  I've been doing breathing treatments again, as I'd stopped over a month ago since she wasn't coughing at all without them.

Baby got her shots and has been a bit fussy ever since.  She hasn't slept well the last two nights...fussing in her sleep and waking every 3 hours or so for a feeding.  I'm hoping to get back on track today/tonight.

Yesterday we just hung out and rested.  I tried to put a few Christmas gifts away, but gave up when I ran out of places to put things.  LOL

Today we hope to just laze around again.  I'd like to straighten the house a bit and I need to come up with something for supper.  DH said the inlaws might come by tonight for a visit.

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Baby and DD5 are both napping so I think I'll go get a quick shower.  It seems like as soon as I turn on the water the baby wakes up crying...LOL.

DD5 has two weeks off from Awana and Ballet, so she can spend a different night with her grandparents if she wants.  I've been keeping her home because of her cough though.  Hopefully that will be better by tomorrow.

I hope everybody had a great Christmas, I do love this time of year but am always relieved when the financial burden of gift giving is over.