More Memorable Firsts

Life with Kyla is full of so much joy! Even something as fun as Christmas has become that much more meaningful and enjoyable. From her first visit with Santa and spending time with family to opening presents and watching in wonder at all of the Christmas decorations, every moment was precious.

We visited Santa toward the first part of December, and Kyla did not like sitting on his lap at first. We finally managed a picture in which she was smiling, but at first she was very unsure. We had a mini-Christmas with GranDad and GranJan on the second weekend of December, and Kyla enjoyed the new toys she received! She especially liked the gift bag and tissue paper that accompanied the presents.

On December 11, we were so excited to catch Kyla taking her first steps! See the video here.

Christmas weekend, Eve and Christmas day were spent with Grams & G-Dad at our house. We enjoyed a relaxing time together, playing at home and going to the park. Kyla certainly enjoyed the attention! We attended the afternoon Christmas Eve service at our church, and Kyla slept through most of the service. Thinking of baby Jesus with Kyla in our lives provided an extra special meaning to what it must have been like for Joseph and Mary on that first Christmas morning. After the service, Jen and her mom cooked a Mexican dinner with tamales, and then cooked more for Christmas day.

Christmas morning started about 7:30, and we opened presents. Kyla had so many that she had to take a nap in the middle of opening them! She had a lot of fun, and received a lot of fun new toys and clothes. It was really neat to see her try out her new toys. We ate a mid-afternoon meal with friends (complete with ham, mac n cheese, sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, green beans, squash casserole, rolls, and pecan pie). That afternoon provided a special treat--it snowed! We played in the snow for a few minutes to let Kyla experience her first snow.

The day after Christmas, Nana, Papa, Jermaine, Andrew and Eric came over and brought lots more presents for Kyla. She had fun opening them and showing off her walking skills. And they all enjoyed showing her what to do with all of the toys. We also were able to see Danielle before we headed out of town for New Years. We had fun seeing them all spend time together. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives!