Rudolph's Birthday

Today was Rudolph's birthday.  Don't ask why Madison knows this - she just did.  She announced this earlier, as Mommy and Daddy were taking ornaments off the tree.  The party, she said, would start in 100 minutes.  As we continued taking ornaments off the tree, she'd periodically come down and announce the time remaining, so we knew it was important!  

When Daddy got up to her playroom, things were set up very nicely indeed!  All the people invited showed up, including Daddy, so the party could begin!  We began with hot soup, and some drinks for everyone around - the tea was just right.  After that, we sang "Happy Birthday" together, except for Raja, who just sort of growled.  You can see from the photo above, that he was a little sloppy:  his bowl was turned up a bit, presumably so he could lick up all of his soup.  Anyway, after Rudolph blew out the candles, we all had cake, and apple slices too.  

Then, it was time for presents!  In the grocery cart, Madison had all kinds of presents for Rudolph - and each one was wrapped!  She used blankets and paper to wrap the presents, which basically were all these extra toys she hasn't used in a while.  But they were very much appreciated by Rudolph, was was pretty blown away by all the attention!

The rest of the day was a big part of the Desantafication Process, which takes a lot longer than we think it will each year.  We have a LOT of Christmas decorations and ornaments!

It was a cold day outside, which made cozying up to the fake fire a lot of fun.  We've got the real fireplace, of course, but in another room of the house, we have one of those fake fireplaces, which has been a nice little retreat as of late.  It's got a remote control that Madison now knows how to use.  Imagine people 100 years ago seeing a glimpse into the future:  Madison grabs the remote and turns the fireplace on, and then she turns up the heat a little.  We're really going to fix up this room in 2013, and make it a place to hang out and read.  Can't wait to see the changes we make this year - and can't wait to show you on this blog!

Fireplaces were the theme of the day though:  we went to Cracker Barrel tonight, and sat close to that big fireplace they have.  Madison loved it.  It's especially nice on a cold day, isn't it?  We used a few Christmas present gift cards there, and ate for free.  We also got some gifts from their store for free too - and still had some money left on the gift cards for next time.  Mommy got a few Christmas-themed items for next year at 80% off, which was pretty cool.  

But that wasn't the big deal of the day:  after Cracker Barrel, we went to Hobby Lobby to look around, where Daddy got this gorgeous nativity picture.  It's HUGE.  It's so big, there are very few places to put it in the house.  And it is really nice, so much so that both Mommy and Daddy like it very much.  The thing is, it's a picture of the nativity scene, which doesn't exactly work year-round.  So, we might just hang it up around November or something.  Yes, we'll hang it up over the fake fireplace!

Tonight before bed, Madison read to Daddy from one of her Christmas presents, a young reader's book based on the movie "Brave."  It featured opposites, and Madison did very well with her reading.  She's been speaking much, much better of late.  We've been so proud of her progress, and happy with her teachers who help her speak more clearly as each day goes by.  It's not quite there yet completely, but then again, neither are many kids.  

One final note before turning in for the day:  one of her top teeth is wiggling.  It won't be long before we have a visit from the Tooth Fairy again!