I Hope You Merry Christmas

Audrey's favorite song during this Christmas season has been her own version of "We Wish you a Merry Christmas," which goes "I hope you Merry Christmas." She likes to sing it at the top of her lungs while spinning in circles, and then proceeds to make up her own verses about whatever is on her mind at the time. I think we have a budding song-writing in our midst.

Here are a few other highlights from the past few days, made all the more entertaining by our nearly three year old daughter.

• This year, Audrey recognized all of the gifts she got as soon as she opened them. This is the first year that she has really understood the concept of giving and getting gifts and been truly excited to open the gifts she got.
• Lana's Mexican food on Christmas Eve...enough said.
• Audrey "making" cupcakes with the new cupcake set Nana and Papa got her, putting the play candles on them, and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.
• Audrey recognizing the box from American Girl with clothes for her Bitty Baby, and running over to the couch to get Bitty and inform her that she had received a gift and needed to help Audrey open it.
• Audrey stuffing her blanket, extra Bitty Baby clothes, her new chapstick, and her play telephone into her new backpack to take with us to Granny's on Christmas.
• Audrey unwrapping the pink St. Louis Blues jersey from her Grandma and Grandpa and immediately hugging it to her bosom like she would never let it go.
  
• My dad, my brother, his girlfriend Lauren, and my husband working late into the night building lego creations.

A huge thanks goes out to our family and friends for all of the thoughtful gifts, and for keeping Audrey's gifts small so that we can find room for them in our condo. Still, the best gift that I think we've gotten this year doesn't come in the form of something you can wrap. Instead, it is that kind of gift that is given unintentionally. That gift comes to Billy and me from Audrey in the form of potty training. While she still wears diapers at night, she generally makes it through the day wearing only big girl underwear and informing us when she needs to use the restroom. With the baby coming in less than 6 months now, it is such a relief that Audrey has started this process and is on her way to being fully potty trained before her younger sibling arrives. Thank you Audrey! This is by far your biggest accomplishment of 2011.