Christmas Morning

Christmas Cricket & Mommy (My favorite picture of my favorite day!)

Christmas this year was magical.  It was quiet, exciting, wonderfully drawn out and altogether sweet as pie. It was the first time we had Christmas morning in our home, just our little family, and I can honestly say it was a dream come true! Ever since I found out I was pregnant with Cricket I have imagined her walking down our stairs on Christmas morning.

We were blessed to spend the weekends before and after Christmas with our extended families to celebrate. So, it made Christmas morning extra special knowing I could soak in the four of us (yes, I count the dog as a family member) and not give up any extended family memories. Those weekends were wonderful, too!

We decided the day after Christmas last year to give Miss Cricket a kitchen this Christmas. That is, after we found the sink/oven/stove piece at a local antique store for an absolute steal! Then, Mr. Schalk and I revamped an old bathroom table into a fridge, and found the most amazing hutch at an antique store in Bloomington. It was so fun to put together!

All year long I had the absolute pleasure of choosing just the right accessories for Cricket's kitchen. A girl loves to accessorize, right? Some items were purchased new, others were found at antique stores, a few from thrift stores and even one from the grocery store. We did not purchase a great deal as this is a gift Miss Cricket will be able to grow with. There are plenty of years to buy more play food and other kitchen items.

The story of this darling kitchen is a post all its own. I will definitely tell the story, because it is worth noting while the details are fresh. I will kick myself down the road if I don't jot it down soon. Until then, back to Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve - Yes, Bonnie did this on her own. She was almost as excited as I was on Christmas Eve. It was the cutest thing to see her running around, sniffing everything with a goofy puppy grin on her face, while we set up.

Merry Christmas Bonnie!

Christmas morning! Mr. Schalk led Cricket downstairs while I stood behind the kitchen to video tape her. She was instructed to, "go find Mommy." So, she was more excited to see me at first, then anything else. Yes,  my heart about burst. I love this girl!

Christmas breakfast anyone?

It didn't take long for her to have every drawer, cupboard and door open and explored. She loved "pouring" from these pretend wooden jars. They are color coded with magnetic lids. Very cool!

My Christmas beauty

After an hour or so, Cricket left and came back with this. I didn't want to get her overwhelmed with too many toys so I had stashed a few of them in the front room the night before. Apparently, she missed her shape sorter.

I loved that she was enjoying this "old" toy as much as her new ones. Go Cricket!

Cricket got a few other presents aside from her kitchen.

Toby! She LOVES Thomas & Friends and was thrilled to have a couple new engines to add to her collection. She was also very excited about her new Thomas movie, Hero of the Rails.  It's quite cute!

Back to the kitchen, but winding down. Christmas girl needs a nap!

It was a wonderful day. Mr. Schalk and I had coffee before Cricket woke up. Then, we had breakfast after a little present opening/playing with. Cricket went down easily for her nap. Then, she opened a couple more presents Christmas afternoon. We took it slow and let her set the pace. I was going to save the few wrapped presents, but she knows about presents this year and enjoyed unwrapping them.

That evening, my parents came over and we had Christmas dinner. Brandon made his famous beef short ribs and Dad, who Cricket calls "Papa Ed", took her for a sled ride in the back yard. Again, it was relaxed and super fun. I could not have dreamed a better day. A perfect day to celebrate Jesus' birth and the love and simplicity of family. Merry Christmas indeed!