Christmas Day 2008

We celebrated Christmas over at our house this year, and we had a blast! Since it was adults and babies this year, enjoyed wonderful, lazy morning where we didn't have to rush to open presents at 5am. Well, most of us were able to wait....I actually was awakened by Sera, our fur-child, who just couldn't wait to open up her gifts (just like last year)! Yes, despite the piles of presents under the tree, Sera only goes after hers. She really does know which ones are hers and she leaves the rest alone! Smart dog. So, shortly before Brian's family arrived, we let Sera rip into her first present and she loved it. Larkin watched and actually thought it was hilarious! Check out the video of it below.

Brian's family arrived around 2pm. Celebrating Christmas Day with us was Grandma & Grandpa Hittle (Brian's parents, Jim and Peggy), Brian's sister Jenny, her husband Greg, and their baby girl Sierra. (Sierra, Larkin's cousin, is exactly 20 days older than Larkin, so it's great fun getting the girls together)! We spent the afternoon opening presents, eating Christmas dinner (Honeybaked Ham, sweet potatoe casserole, corn casserole, etc.), and just hanging out. It was a great day. Here are some pictures of it. I don't have a picture of it, but Larkin's present from Santa was the Fischer Price Laugh and Learn Learning Home. I can't wait to play with it with her! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Larkin's Christmas Gift to Us

Larkin came home today from her last day of daycare before the holiday break with a present that she and her teachers had made for us... and I LOVE it! It is the most touching Christmas present a momma could ask for. Larkin made us a 2009 calendar, with festive pictures of her for each month. Check it out (I took photos of the calendar that I posted below)... you can click on any photo to see it enlarged. Isn't this the cutest gift?!

Trimming the Tree

Brian, Larkin, and I decked the halls and trimmed the tree with its final touches today. For us, this is fun family together time and we enjoyed finding a special spot for each ornament on the tree... especially Larkin's "Baby's 1st Christmas" rocking horse ornament. Larkin was really intrigued by the tree and she grabbed at it whenever she got close!

Meeting Santa for the First Time!

Larkin's school put on an adorable holiday program tonight and at the end of it, Larkin got to meet Santa Claus for the first time! Wasn't that nice of him and Mrs. Claus to come all the way from the North Pole for a visit?

I hear that kids are often scared of sitting on the jolly ol' fellow's lap, but Larkin really didn't seem phased by it in the slightest... she sat there happily on Santa's lap and actually was interested in the ball that hung from the end of his cap (since it kept bopping her on the head)! Now, I wonder what she asked for...hmmmm.....

After the party, we couldn't help but take a few cute pictures of us and Larkin in her Christmas dress and sparkling Dorothy shoes!

School Daycare First Days and Reindeer Art

Larkin made the switch from an in-home daycare to a school-setting daycare this month. We're lucky... she seems happy here (and she seemed happy there). In general, I think Larkin enjoys daycare (although we don't love the cold bugs that come with it!). Larkin likes watching the other kids and she always smiles at her teachers. She's in the "Cuddly Cub" class and there are 9 kids total (5 teachers). Larkin has her own crib there for naps, and there are so many toys... they rotate them regularly to keep the kids' interest. One thing that Larkin really enjoys is the "chair-in-the-table" contraption. You can see it in the first picture (and Larkin is sitting in it in the fourth picture).

I included a picture of the classroom (crib area is off to the right and kitchenette is off to the left) so you could get an idea. The door in the back of the room leads out to the playground. Short bios of her 5 teachers are included in the second photo (click on the photo so you can read the bios). The third picture is of her daily report card from her first day (click on the photo to read it)... as you can see, they do yoga with the kids, and even teach them some basic Spanish and sign language! I love getting the report cards each day... they are a hoot to read. The fourth picture is of Larkin during her first full day there. The remaining pictures are of a few of the Christmas decorations that they have hung up. Larkin's a Rudolph reindeer (middle of the pack) - aren't they so cute?!

Hittle's Happy Holidays

Like you, we've been busy trimming our tree and doing our holiday shopping. So, we decided to take a moment to slow down and take a family photo to capture these special memories that we're making together. Happy Holidays from our family to yours. (Yes, the annual Hittle Holiday letter is in the works, and will be clogging up your email sometime around Christmas Day)!

Grandma/pa Hittle Babysit

Larkin loves spending time with her grandparents and, as these pictures show, this babysitting visit was no exception. We heard that they did lots of giggling! Brian and I took the opportunity to go on a "date night"... we went to the local movie theater to see James Bond - Quantum of Solace and we enjoyed our first "Fork and Spoon" experience (where you are served dinner while you watch the movie). It was a great evening for all of us!

6-month-old Babies Recognize Good Samaritans

The journal Nature published an article about a Yale University study which showed that babies are adept at differentiating good people from bad people. In the study, babies watched a scenario where there was a "helper" (i.e., good samaritan) and a "hinderer" (i.e., bad person). The results were over-whelming...100% of the 6-month-old babies (and 87.5% of 10-month-old babies) were able to identify and preferred the helper, as opposed to the hinderer. It shows that even babies are socially-smart... they know good vs. bad, being nice vs. being mean, etc. Pretty amazing study, isn't it?! To read more about the study, click here and here.

Grandpa Bud's visit

Grandpa Bud came for a 10-day visit, but it flew by way too fast. Despite coming down with a cold/sinus infection during his visit, Grandpa Bud and Larkin completely hit it off. Larkin didn't give him a cold shoulder this time, instead she cried for only a minute or two when he first held her. From then on, they were best buddies.

Grandpa Bud helped with a lot of Larkin's feedings, and was there for her first bite of veggies... sweet potatoes! Grandpa Bud even spent a couple of days watching Larkin during the day when Brian and I had to work. We temporarily renamed him "Nanny Bud"!

During his stay, Grandpa Bud developed a few adorable nicknames for Larkin. They include: "Bug-a-boo", "Boo-ga-loo", and my personal favorite "Boogie-woogie". They were so cute, and Larkin really seemed to like them!

Here are a couple of pictures from a last-minute photo shoot that we did right before Grandpa Bud left. You can see what a lovely interaction the two of them have. Larkin especially enjoyed the horsie rides on Grandpa Bud's knee.