Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Christmas: check
Ok, as far as updates go, I can't swear that this one will be the most awesome.
This year, I was more prepared for Christmas than I have ever been. I did wait to shop until about two weeks before hand and that made shipping tricky on a lot of items ordered from amazon and ebay. But this year, very much unlike last year, there was minimal panicking. The girls had more or less told me everything that they wanted and it was all within my budget.
Santa gifts are always the hardest because they have to be something big that Mommy wouldn't buy because it's too expensive or exactly what they wanted.
This year, Santa brought Amanda her Ipod and her IZ. For Emilee, it was her Leapster system. As most of you know, I don't allow video games. I do, on occasion, buy computer games, but only if they are educational. Anyway, Emilee has been barking up the gameboy tree for a while and I had to stick to my guns and say no. Well, last year, I had thought about getting her an Leapster (which is like a gameboy but with only educational games) but when I went to get one, they were sold out. This year, I was shopping on ebay and found a bundled set. It was the system itself, two games and the case for like 130.00.
Trin was cake. She loves little toys that she can sit on the floor with and play pretend with. So, Santa got her a dollhouse. I know that picture isn't very big, this doll house is almost as tall as she is. She also got the fisher price bus that plays "The Wheels on the Bus" when you drive it around from Veronique's mother and the weeble treehouse from me. Not to mention a dozen other little gifts. She loves Christmas.
Then Santa brought all three girls a Casio keyboard. This thing kicks so much ass. It lights up to show you what keys to push and with which fingers. It's also preprogrammed with a ton of music and you can plug into your tv for karaoke and puts the words on the tv screen. It also has a usb and smart card slot. So, fully loaded. The girls are already playing jingle bells and we wish you a Merry Christmas.
Now, my thing for Christmas and birthdays is to try and get the girls something that is important to the person that they are that year. Something that isn't necessarily a toy, but that touches a part of them that I have seen this year. I do this because I don't think that they are going to remember the Ipods and the Leapsters, but they will remember that year that I gave them something that helped them focus their attentions or hone in on the passion that leads them down the road to a career they love. You know, like when you give the little boy the archeologist set and he thanks you in his speech when he is opening his own company as the most successful dinosaur guy ever. "And I just have to thank my mom. If she hadn't bought me that little set of tools and the dinosaur books when I was seven, I may not have become the archeologist I am today." Then everyone claps and the mom dabs her eyes with pride...
Ok, moving on :) So, I got Emilee a rock tumbler. She is always bringing rocks home. ALWAYS. She has boxes of them under her bed and I am constantly taking them out of her pockets and putting them in little bags for her. And you know what? As soon as I was done cleaning up the twelve and a half tons of wrapping paper from the floor with the forklift, she wanted me to help her set it up. Not put batteries into the Leapster, but help her start tumbling rocks. Oh yeah baby.
For Amanda, it was the the first book of archives for Elfquest. This book is hardback and color and perfect. Amanda started reading Elfquest a few months ago and she loves it. She really liked the book and has already finished reading all two hundred and something pages of it.
For Trin, it's little things. I gave her the weeble tree and the little ducks. She loves the ducks. It is a set of three baby ducks and a mamma. The mamma duck is me (yay!) and the three little ducks are Trin and her two friends from daycare, Coleen and Erin.
Let's see, what else? I got my mom an Ipod Photo 30GB. Noah, Ruthie and I split the cost on this one. For Ruthie, it was a pink Ipod mini. Yup, it was an Ipod themed Christmas.
Anyway, I had wrapped everything as it arrived and it was all labeled and ready to go so Christmas Eve was a cinch. Just unloaded everything and set up the keyboard while Ruthie put the furniture in the dollhouse and that was it.
The girls got up and dug into their stockings and then woke me up around 6:15, which was twenty minutes before Noah started calling. We put Noah on speaker phone and started opening gifts. He was supposed to be here this year, but couldn't get his leave lined up. Next year. Next year, he will be out of the Navy and he can come home.
So, that's it, in a very big nutshell. I swear, pictures tomorrow. I meant to bring them today and get them uploaded, but tomorrow for sure.
I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!
so eloquently put by katehopeeden at 5:59 AM
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Who: katehopeeden
Where: San Antonio, Texas Yeah, so I am all that you see here. I am friendly and kind, crazy and bitchy, playful and flirty... sometimes I am funny but mostly I just write the first thing that comes to mind and then stop when it ends. I love life and I am lucky to be living the one that I am. Want to know more?
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12/14/84 - 1/26/05


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