Merry Christmas!

We had a very busy week leading up to Christmas, with several parties to attend and me serving as a scribe for a student who couldn't write her exams, but luckily I already had our shopping done so there wasn't much left to do but wait for the exciting day to arrive!  Cadence had her 18 month appointment on Dec 19 and got 4 more shots.  She weighed in at 24 lbs (60 percentile I think) and was 33.25 inches long (89 percentile)

On Dec 23 we drove up to Nashville to Opry Mills so Cadence could see Santa at Bass Pro Shops (they give you a free photo, hence why we drove all the way there!)  She was actually pretty happy about seeing Santa until she got on his lap, and then she just wanted me to take her away.  She wasn't crying in the picture, but definitely doesn't look thrilled! 

Christmas Eve James and Cadence went out to Walmart in the morning to get a few last minute groceries, and I cleaned up a few rooms around the house as I was slightly suspicious that he was going to be flying my parents in from Iowa as one of my Christmas presents.  We went to church at 7:00 and Cadence was pretty well behaved, although she did cause a little bit of a joyous ruckus when she discovered how hilarious it was to put her sippy cup on a hymnal and watch it slide off--the other toddlers around her also enjoyed the show and erupted into a fit of giggles!  But it's better than crying, right?

We came home, got Cadence into bed right away since it was later than normal, I set out the presents from Santa, filled the stockings, and ate the cookies and milk.  I tolerated watching James's favorite childhood Christmas cartoon, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then we watched Love Actually.  It didn't finish until 11:15, so after it was over I promptly went to bed--only to be notified 10 minutes later that one of my presents arrived--my parents and Katrina!  I was right!  It was so good to see them and we stayed up until 1am or so talking before exhaustion set in. 

The next day Cadence was the first one up, and we just kind of hung around until everyone woke up.  I made some waffles for breakfast, and then it was time for presents!  Here's what everyone got:
Cadence- Snap blocks, toy mixer, wooden pots/pans, play food, puppet theatre, several books, toy phone, toy broom/dustpan, The Little Mermaid, socks, trilingual flashcards, animal crackers, pink sparkly TOMS.
James- TV, Bears book, NFL book, Despicable Me 2, KIND bars, socks, an original painting from Cadence, birds book and gift card for bird food
Mallory-Iowa blanket, parents for Christmas :), private cooking lesson, Despicable Me 2, Divergent book, two maternity shirts, crockpot recipes, cast iron brownie kit, cupcake pan, pregnancy body pillow, black sparkly TOMS, sewing set

It really was a great Christmas, and I think Cadence's favorite gift was either the pink shoes or the broom and dustpan.  That night I made a roast chicken, red potatoes, and corn for dinner, and we watched Despicable Me 2.  The next day, my parents' last in town, we went to the cafe for lunch, ordered a Pizza Hut pizza for dinner, and just hung around the house.  We watched Taken 2 since my dad wanted to see it and he really gets a chance to sit and watch a whole movie.  The Piehls had to head home the next morning, but we got breakfast at the Midway Diner before they left for the airport.  It was so nice to be able to celebrate Christmas with them without having to drive 11 hours to do it!