Elsie has only had one other cold before...so her little body does not quite know how to respond! We have had lots of cuddle time...
All that is left now of being sick is a very runny nose and a super winy girl...good thing Daddy is home for a few days!
In my family everyone draws names...girls draw girls names and guys draw guys names...this makes things so much easier! We have one gift opening of the great "gift exchange" where we take turned going around the room, youngest to oldest, and everyone had one gift to open from whoever has their name...
Colter and Oliver playing in a big box...Jon tried to close Colter up in the big box...but Colter, being the smart guy he is...simply took out his pocket knife and cut his way out of the box! Can't get the better of that boy!
Daddy and Elsie enjoying a quiet moment together...
My mom always spends a couple days before Christmas (or any holiday) cleaning...but you would never guess it by looking at this picture! I love this picture though...everyone looks happy and oblivious to the mess...we all just enjoy being together...
Emma and Elsie enjoying the fresh Christmas day snow...
Elsie even was able to go on a snowmobile ride with grandpa! 
Colter got a HUGE Nerf gun for Christmas...and Elsie loved helping him shoot it! We have a rule in our house...no noisy toys, no Nerf guns and no live animals...we will see how long this rule stays in place!
Love this picture...Emma and Elsie had their own little table for dinner...and dinner was complete with kool-aid...could any child possibly be happier!
Elsie opening her "sit-n-spin" from Grammie and Gramdpa. Besides the gift exchange opening, we have another gift opening with the gifts from grammie and grandpa...
What a busy and fun-filled Christmas holiday...now we are all pooped out!
Elsie rolled over at 9 o'clock in the morning and with eyes still closed she grabbed her Santa gift and hugged it smiling! After admiring the package we told her she could open it up...and she was so excited! Santa brought her what she had asked for...a noisy tooth brush! She was so pleased with her tooth brush she could have cared less about opening the gifts under the tree...
After awhile we passed out the gifts...and Elsie loved it all!
Her big gift was a little wooden kitchen...she really thought the wrapped up package was a new high chair (since we packed hers away)...but when she pulled the paper away she stood with her mouth wide open slowly saying "little kitchen, little kitchen, me!!" She was thrilled and spent the rest of the morning making Jon and I breakfast with her new kitchen, play felt food and glass dishes! One lucky girl!
While opening gifts we enjoying breakfast of tangerines, pineapple, blueberries and GF/CF donuts...these were Elsie's first ever donuts...and I think she rather enjoyed them!
For Christmas this year the "big gift" Elsie and I got for Jon was a gift certificate for a tattoo! He has always wanted a tattoo of Elsie's birth date...but I knew he would never really get one...so I surprised him with one! Jon surprised me with a new hair straightener, some big frames for hanging pictures in the living room and my favorite...some California Baby bubble bath which claims to turn your mood from cranky to happy! I hope he was not trying to tell me I have been crabby lately! In the end we had a lovely Christmas with our little family...
We each had 5 gifts in our stockings...and we took turns opening them each up...Elsie was just as excited for Jon and I open our gifts as she was her own...
Elsie opened so many fun treasures...a wooden hair comb, dress up gloves, a bracelet, a new bath scrubby, and some wooden doll house people...one very lucky girl!
Jon was on video camera duty...and I was on camera duty...it doesn't look like any part of Christmas eve was missed!
Since cooking is not my thing with morning-sickness going on...Jon prepared our Christmas eve meal...roast, mashed potatoes, carrots...tasty! We had every intention of going to the 11 o'clock church service...but with a 2 year old and a pregnant mama...we just didn't make it. Next year we will make sure to go twice to make up!
This past year has been a wonderful year for us...we are a happy and contented family...we are enjoying every moment of our spunky 2 year old girl...and anxiously awaiting the birth of our 2nd child in late July...We are also enjoying our new role as foster parents...a very rewarding experience for our family! 
Elsie has become quite a verbal little girl...talking in full sentences and always keeping us laughing! She has a quite a sense of humor...something she gets from both her daddy and I! You can always find Elsie mothering a baby doll or her foster sister...such a little mother! We are definitely enjoying the exploration age of 2!
We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas...
The evening was spent opening Christmas gifts...Grandma B. spent lots of time making all home-made gifts this year for the children. Elsie's favorite is an interactive ABC book the Grandma B. made...I think the book must have taken forever...I will have to post some pictures of it later...
No Christmas is complete with Grandma B. without candy, socks and undies!
Little Lilly got plenty of gifts for her first Christmas...like a bib made by Joyce...
Another of Elsie's favorites is a pink story book from Keegan...the next day Grandma B. read it to Elsie so many times that she now has the book memorized! What a Happy Christmas celebration! 
I think without her Aunties there Elsie would have never gotten very close to Santa at all! I think Emma volunteered to sit on Santa's lap in hopes that Elsie would be okay with him...it did not work!
This picture will be going in our 2009 frame and put on the shelf with all the other Santa pictures...
This is Lilly's first Christmas...so we had to get her all dressed up to sit on Santa's lap. This year Lilly will be spending Christmas with her Grandparents...we miss her while she is gone...
Elsie has been looking forward to Santa coming...and we needed to have cookies to leave out on the Santa platter on Christmas eve...Elsie seems to think Santa will be leaving her a battery operated tooth-brush...she will have to wait and see what Santa has for her...
While Elsie and I were busy mixing up the cookie dough, pressing them on the sheets and adding lots of sprinkles...Lilly was quite happy to play on the rug on the kitchen floor...what a good baby...
Elsie thought eating breakfast in the living room while watching TV was great fun...Elsie brought daddy his breakfast...when she gets older we will put a lit wreath of lights on her head as the legend goes...
After Breakfast Daddy and Elsie put together the little miniature gingerbread 
I love this picture...Elsie peering over Jon's arm to watch what is going on...
The decorated house...I think Jon enjoys making and decorating the gingerbread houses...especially this year since Elsie is old enough to help...
After the houses all dried Elsie and I set up a little gingerbread village...the little village now sits on the toy table in the living room...
What a fun St. Lucia day...
Her latest favorite word is "Pepperoni"...and she sounds so cute saying it in her squeaky 2 year old voice! The other day she was walking around singing this song...
A couple days ago she came to me saying..." Want pocket knife Birthday!" I asked her what she would do with a pocket knife...and without missing a beat she responded with..."cut hair off!" Yikes...with aspirations like that I don't think she will be getting a pocket knife for quite some time!
Three cousins...Elsie is being outnumbered by Boy cousins! Elsie doesn't seem to mind...she is just happy to hold baby Luke...
Love this picture...Elsie is being the watchful mama and keeping an eye on Oliver eating his sucker!
Lilly just needed someone to lean on...so cute!
