The Reedables: Elliott's 1st (and 2nd) Christmas

I know, I know, I'm long overdue for the big Christmas post. My goal of posting weekly seems to be more difficult than I first thought. The New Year started off a bit rocky between trying to get back into a routine after being away for a week and a half, working at 80% time, and all of us being sick - all of the sudden two weeks have passed. But I'm nothing if not persistent, so I'll keep trying to please Elliott's adoring fans by woking toward my New Year's goal of weekly updates.

On to the matter at hand. Elliott had a wonderful first (and second) Christmas. We started out the whirlwind Holiday adventure at Steve's parent's for Christmas. My parents were also included, so Elliott got to spend his first Christmas with both sets of grandparents. We feel so fortunate that our families get along so well, and there is no tension over who we visit and when.

We have started a routine of reading Elliott a story before bed every night, so both the grandmas were happy to participate on Christmas Eve. Here are Grandma Sandy (aka Lully), Elliott, and Grandma Starla reading Goodnight Moon.

Christmas morning Elliott cleaned up like the well loved child that he is, scoring new clothes, toys, books, and a high chair. Of course he's not quiet old enough to understand what was going on, but he showed his full appreciation for all of his gifts by promptly sticking them directly in his mouth.

After the gift opening frenzy we laid Elliott down for some tummy time. I jokingly commented that his gift to the grandmas was going to be rolling over for the first time, and then bam - he rolled over 4 times in a row! Once we got over our shock we whipped out the cameras to record the occasion. That's my kid - a good listener already.

I would have thought that by now, 3 weeks later, he would be a rolling over machine, but he's still only performing sporadically. It truly was a Christmas surprise gift. Here he is looking very satisfied with himself.

Lully and Grandma Starla did a great job of sharing Elliott throughout the day. Here the are at lunch.

After a nap it was time for Elliott to dress for Christmas dinner. Look how sharp he is. He definitely takes after Daddy in that he "always looks good".

This was the family photo that encouraged me to upgrade from my old used DSLR camera to a brand new Cannon T2i. We took a full shoot of family photos in front of the Christmas tree, only to throw them on the computer the next day and find that the white balance was off, making everything look blue. So call the new camera a little (well big) present to myself. Eventually I might play with this in photoshop to rescue the photo for historical purposes.

Elliott's favorite time of the day continues to be diaper changes. His happy spot in our house is the changing table, but anywhere will do. Lay him down on the bed, back seat of the car, or bathroom counter of a coffee shop (true story), and he's all giggles and smiles. This is a special smile reserved for Daddy.

We stayed a few days after Christmas at Steve's parents to visit with the rest of the family. Uncle Jason and Aunt Lori helped out with bedtime one night...

... while cousin Miranda played him a few tunes on the guitar. She is an incredibly talented musician/singer, and I hope Elliott will play some sort of instrument with her as he grows up.

We ended the week at my parent's house in Livermore for a Long family Christmas celebration on New Years Eve. My sister Janine and her husband Tim drove up from Santa Clarita, and my sister Jessica and her family flew all the way out from Austin. It was the Elliott's first time meeting his 4 Texas cousins, and we decided to dress them up in their Christmas best and take the new camera out for a spin at a nearby park we visited often while growing up.

Elliott's cousin Boaz is only 6 weeks younger than him. Here they look like two little old men watching the world go by, but soon they will be running around together as active participants in the excitement. Just in case you have trouble telling them apart (Jess and I both thought a picture on the wall at my parents house was the other's kid), Boaz is on the left in Elliot's Christmas sweater, and Elliott is on the right in the fancy vest.

Abigail and Elliott got along well during story time the first night we were there. Abigail loves babies, and Elliott loves to get kisses (I've been conditioning him because Mommy loves kisses too:)

The next morning I had a minor heart attack when I woke up and found Steve in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, but no Elliott. When I asked where my kid was he said "Davey and Cassia are watching him". There they all were, watching TV in the living room.

Christmas #2 morning (or the morning of New Year's Eve for everyone else who's not part of the Long family) started off with Elliott and Boaz getting some good playtime in under the play gym.

And then progressed to the opening of more gifts. Elliott got some new PJs and a much needed new book for story time, along with more toys and clothes. I think he's trying to kiss the mouse in this picture, but Steve's pretty certain he's kissing the cookie. Looks like he's going to have Daddy's sweet tooth.

No Christmas is complete without Reese ripping into his presents. He daintily rips off the wrapping, careful to not damage the contents inside.

All of my Fresno cousins and their families joined us for New Year's Eve. We calculated 27 people, including 9 kids. We lined up all the new additions to the family for a photo op: Boaz - born 10/26/11, Kate (my cousin's daughter) - born 10/13/11, and Elliott - born 9/11/11. It will be fun watching the 3 of them grow up together.