We went up to Hurricane Ridge for the afternoon with Auntie Lola after everyone left (notice Izzi has her trusty dolly and kitty purse in tote). It was nice, but somewhat short-lived in the cold.

FIRST hair cut!

Yes, my daughter made it nearly 19 months without getting a hair cut. Yes, she has the most bad-hass mullet you've ever seen. No, I never expected it to be so.

Auntie A did a good job dodging her head shakes and clinging to the scissors in order to make the trim happen. G-mum came to the rescue with the blush brush. Izzi loved the tickle on her cheeks, and now rushes to my top drawer in the bathroom when I get ready for school.

Christmas Day

While it was a fairly rough year playing Santa for the first year (Jake's mild screw-driver tantrum--Auntie A reassured me that all her friends have faced a similar conundrum at the holidays) we made it. The first pic showcases me and Jake at the witching hour in front of "Santa's" retro kitchen. I know Jake just wanted to play darts with the boys in the shop rather than indulge in fantasy land--St. Nick sliding down our faux chimney at the wee hour to deliver toys for our little Cindy Lou-hou who is not even two--but we survived with "a little help from our friends, hem, family". Thank you all for getting Izzi's cute kitchen assembled!

Izzi woke up around 7 (like a good little girl) to the paparazzi in full effect. While I "coached" Jake to find the video camera before I went to bed (he was not able to) faithful Auntie Audrey was and caught Ms. Ashton's first Christmas at home with all the awe and wonder it could afford. She was timid at first (she gravitated to her most treasured toys first--the kitty purse Auntie Amy bought her while shopping at the newly remodeled Southcenter mall) and acted like it was knew--thus confirming my initial idea of wrapping old gifts and renewing their value.

I was really proud of my 18 month old. She paced herself and played with all her gifts equally. She roamed from dolly bed to kitchen to pots-n-pans to tent to puzzles to clothes to bags to puppets to chair to books and back again to make the rounds. G-mum says little A dances on her toes just as I did, and pays attention to all her "babies" in the same fashion. Ahh, genetics.

Bottom line: Ms. Isadora loved being home and we loved having everyone out for the holidays. Thank you so much for your generosity and love. Our little girl wil remember talking to everyone (in her special code), running about in a scatterbrained fashion, napping in her tent, cooking a wooden onion (or pork chop) and loving on her family for her second wonderful Christmas. )Ps....Notice how Izzi and Gramps have the same sleeping stance? Cute, eh?)

Christmas Eve

Awe, Christmas Eve.....in the first picture you'll see Uncle Edward making some "bombdiggity" Dungeness Crab Rangoon (Aunt Katherine definately helped) as one of our many fattolicious hors d'ourves, in the second, recovering from said fattolicious hors d'ourves, and the following delinating everything from wake-up coffee "Ring-around the Rosies" to GG's coveted ABC gift, the Bug book with it's original owner Auntie Lola, the gift exchange after a surf-n-turf dinner and Uncle Bo's martini apron (who knew he would get Great Grannie Pauline's fabric renewed?). I still think Amy and Bo should name their sweet 'Peanut' after their grandmas: Ludmila Pauline. Ahhh, so sweet. I can see Lulu Paulie now! The highlight of me on Christmas Eve was my lovely husband's tame tantrum when faced with assembling "Santa's" retro kitchen. Is there a screw driver in the house?