MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Last night Anja was especially easy-tempered. With any fussing I'd say, "Are you fussing? Shall I call Santa and tell him you're being fussy?" Then she'd say sweetly, "No! Look! I'm smiling and laughing. Ha-ha-ha," and her tune turned on a dime. Fast-foward to bedtime, Thad had just finished reading Madeleine and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and her determination for expediting Santa's arrival was most evident. She promptly rolled over, brought the blankets on her and said with what was apparently nothing short of the personification of glee, "Merry Christmas Dada. Good night."

I awoke around 7:30 and was too excited to fall back asleep. After making coffee, checking the news, fussing with final details, I could wait no longer--I woke them both. Anja was a little puzzled, but also cautiously eager to see what Santa had delivered. She first discovered that he ate the oatmeal cookie with orange-flavored craisins we made. She warmed up over time, either because her comfort level naturally rose, or it was the candy canes she ate for breakfast. We tried to play Chutes and Ladders and Candyland, but she was only mildly interested in the games. Us: "Wait! Come back! Let's play this game. You're winning!" She did end up winning both, fair and square.

Funniest thing I've seen in a while is this quote from the rules for Candyland:

Once you've mastered the classic game, try this more challenging version. On each turn, draw TWO cards. Look at each card and choose which one you want to play. Move your gingerbread character pawn accordingly, then discard both cards. Hint: This special rule helps children learn to make decisions as well as speeds up gameplay.

Apparently, the writers of the game actually DO play with 3 year-olds. We had a good chuckle with that one.

Some of the Anja highlights from this morning are, in no particular order:

• Anja loved seeing Colin's face/present under the tree.


• Putting on new Dora lip-goo every minute, like an addict.


• Telling me (so sweetly) she bought me socks "so you can wear them to bed and your feet won't get cold."


• Jumping on her bike and riding it like a pro.


• It's 40 degrees and sunny out! All three of us raced around outside with the new kid vehicles: bike, scooter, skateboard.

Here you can see Anja enjoying some of her gifts: