The most wonderful time of the year

It really is the most wonderful time of the year ... surrounded by family, friends, great food, fun new things ... doesn't get much better than that! We had a blast with Ava this year during the Christmas festivities. Five gatherings away from our house in three days was a little much, but it's worth it to get to see and spend time with all of our families. For the most part Ava was a gem throughout all the running around. She really enjoyed all the gift opening and cookies, of course, and it was so fun for Mike and I to get to see her running around and playing with our families. Two nights in a row she went to bed about 2-3 hours past her bedtime, so we're playing a little catch-up now on sleep. :)

Ava was showered with so many fun, new toys that I don't think she knows where to start! We put aside a few to bring out later. Some of her favorites are the stroller for her baby doll, a tea set, Fridge Phonics, a Little People Builders set, and an Elmo phone.

It was also fun during all these gatherings to see Ava’s personality at work. With each new large group of people she needed about 15-20 minutes to warm up. She is very shy at first but gradually lets her true colors shine. It’s amazing how mellow she is compared to other kids her age, although they were able to wind her up a bit. I wonder what GunderBoy will be like … ?!