It was a beautiful Christmas, indeed.  Myles and I had the pleasure of hosting our family for this very special holiday.  It’s a rare occasion that our family gets together, much less, the whole family.  I’m talking grandparents and everything!  This year was made extra special by the inclusion of two darling babies.  Molli met her five-week younger cousin, Jackson, for the first time.  Obviously that was the most adorable thing ever!

My sweet nephew is an entirely different breed than Molli.  He is sleepy, cuddly and mellow as can be, whereas Miss Molli is a bit dramatic, intense and a more rigid sort.  It’s amazing how opposite their personalities already are, even at such a young age.  Molli loved staring at Jack and when given the chance, several times she tried to reach out and grab him.  The next time these kiddos are together will certainly be a riot- when they are more aware of what’s going on and likely to interact.  I’m already excited for it!

As always, it was really hard to say goodbye to everyone.  It’s wonderful that we live in a day and age where it is possible to live where our hearts desire, but it’s complicated when the heart conflicts with the desire to be near family and also to be in a particular state.  Therefore, the 6 originating from this family live in 4 different states, and one is temporarily homeless and has not claimed a state yet. (The homelessness works to my benefit though because Sir Homeless is my nanny for the time being!)

Molli made out like a bandit at Christmas and has more adorable clothes (like seriously, so, so cute!), some toys, pacifiers and a new stocking.  She got a new doorway jumper, which is right up her alley.  She loves it!  She doesn’t exactly jump a whole lot, but anything that will allow her to stand, is a definite winner.  This kid is stiff and does NOT prefer to sit or lay, at all.  So standing, spinning and some form of jumping suits her just fine…especially since she can gnaw on the seat part in front of her face.  

She has definitely discovered her mouth and her hand/mouth coordination.  Everything she touches goes straight to her mouth.  And when she’s not touching anything, then her hands are in her mouth.  If the pacifier is already there, it’s OK, she works very hard to make both her pacifier and her hand fit.  It’s a rare art. 

Another favorite is her peacock.  It’s blue with a black and white design on the tummy and crinkly colored tail feathers.  There is a handle on the bottom and a hook to hang it.  SO MUCH FUN!  She plays with this little guy an awful lot.  I have a feeling he will be part of her life for a while.

All in all, a great Christmas, a wonderful year, a beautiful, fun, and always-learning daughter.  No complaints here!